Norika Matsuyama of Palos Verdes, California named a YoungArts 2012 Best and Brightest Young Artists in the Nation Finalist

TORRANCE, CA, January 11, 2012

Chosen from more than 5,000 applicants in nine disciplines in the visual, literary and performing arts, Norika Matsuyama of Palos Verdes, California will embark on a once-in-a-lifetime experience provided by YoungArts, the core program of the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (NFAA). Matsuyama joins 151 other finalists for YoungArts Week in Miami January 9 - 14, 2012 for master classes by world-renowned artists, performances and exhibitions, and the possibility to become a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts and visit the White House. YoungArts Week performances will be livestreamed on http://www.youngarts.org.

"YoungArts Week will be an amazing experience," says Matsuyama. "I expect to learn not just from my master teachers, but also from other artists. I plan to use this time to increase my knowledge of dance and further develop the confidence to purse my passion in ballet as an artist."

Born in Chiba, Japan, Matsuyama began her ballet training at the age of two. She continued her year-round studies at Palos Verdes Ballet from January 2008 until June 2011 when she joined South Bay Ballet and began training at Lauridsen Ballet Centre in Torrance, California, home of South Bay Ballet.

In addition to the year-round curriculum provided by Lauridsen, Matsuyama has been invited to attend summer training programs including this past summer with School of American Ballet (the official school of New York City Ballet). In 2010, she attended School of American Ballet on full tuition scholarship, and in 2009 she attended San Francisco Ballet School on partial scholarship.

A senior company member of South Bay Ballet, Matsuyama has danced a range of corps, soloist and principal roles through the years including most recently Arabian Princess in The Nutcracker. While at Palos Verdes Ballet, she danced principal roles in The Nutcracker, Giselle, Coppelia, Swan Lake, and Firebird, among others.

Now in her senior year at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, Matsuyama continues to maintain a high academic record, and is a member of her high school dance team.

ABOUT YOUNGARTS:
YoungArts is the core program of the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (NFAA). The organization's mission is to identify emerging artists, provide educational enrichment and assistance in their pursuit of the arts, and to raise the appreciation for and support of the arts in American society. Dedicated to inspiring and nurturing young artists, NFAA was founded in 1981 by businessman and visionary, the late Ted Arison, and his wife Lin. The YoungArts program identifies the next generation of emerging artists and contributes to the cultural vitality of the nation by investing in the artistic development of thousands of gifted artists in nine disciplines in the performing, literary and visual arts. At the request of The Commission on Presidential Scholars, which is appointed by the President of the United States, NFAA serves as the exclusive nominating agency for the U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts.

The YoungArts program has honored over 16,000 young artists with more than $6 million in monetary awards and nearly $84 million in college scholarship opportunities. Alumni go on to become leading professionals in their fields. Alumni include actresses Vanessa Williams and Kerry Washington, four-time Tony Award nominee Raúl Esparza, Executive Director of American Ballet Theatre Rachel Moore, recording artists Nicki Minaj and Chris Young, musician Jennifer Koh, choreographer Desmond Richardson, and internationally acclaimed multimedia artist Doug Aitken.