No.168 Shunsuke Nomura Certified as Inagi City Hometown Artist!

This time, we introduce a young man with brilliant talent who is about to spread his wings from Inagi City to the world.

At the end of 2025, ballet dancer Shunsuke Nomura was decided to participate in the "Lausanne International Ballet Competition 2026" held in Switzerland, and on December 4, he was certified as an "Inagi City Hometown Artist" and a send-off party was held (the competition starts on February 1, but since this article is being written in January, we will inform you of the results at a later date).

Mr. Nomura is from Inagi City and attended Minamiyama Elementary School and Inagi Dai 3 Junior High School. He began ballet at the age of four at the Wakabadai ballet school "YARITA YU BALLET STUDIO," showed promise from elementary school, and worked hard aiming to become a professional, including studying abroad in Dallas, USA, during junior high school.

The Lausanne International Ballet Competition is a prestigious international competition held annually in Switzerland since 1973. It is not merely a contest for ranking, but a dream gateway where a select few dancers aged 15 to 18 aiming to become professionals can perform.

This opportunity to perform is the result of the support from his family and the guidance of his instructors, but above all, it is the fruit of his own relentless effort. Behind the glamorous stage, he has surely overcome many obstacles such as battling injuries, struggling with his pursuit of expression, and enduring rigorous selections.

It is a source of pride for us citizens that a young person born and raised in Inagi City is active on the world stage, and it truly connects to our civic pride.

Since the establishment of the Inagi City Hometown ○○ Certification System in December 2023, we have certified seven hometown athletes and sent them to major stages. As a result, they have won two gold medals at the Paralympics and one gold medal at the Deaflympics.

This time marks the first recognition of a Hometown Artist, a title awarded to those with ties to Inagi City who contribute to the promotion of culture and the arts. At the certification ceremony and send-off party, juniors from Mr. Nomura’s alma mater presented words of encouragement, bouquets, and a signed Japanese flag, and all participants took a commemorative photo to express their congratulations and support.

Nomura-san's presence on the world's most prestigious stage will surely become a great beacon of hope for many children who follow in his footsteps.

The Lausanne stage is just the beginning of a new story for Nomura-san. Together with the citizens, we want to send our heartfelt cheers so that he can deliver his best performance.

We await your triumphant return.