Yukichi Hattori – Artistic Director
Yukichi Hattori received his training at the school of Hamburg Ballet John Neumeier. Upon graduating from the school He joined the Hamburg Ballet company where he danced for seven years. Yukichi was promoted to soloist in 2004 and danced many roles within the company. He also began to choreograph while in Hamburg and was awarded the Public Prize at the Prix Dom Pérignon choreographic competition.
In July 2006 Yukichi moved to Calgary joining the Alberta Ballet company as a principal dancer. With Alberta Ballet He created many pieces for the company including Carmen, the Seven Deadly Sins, and Tubular Bells, as well as starred in numerous company productions.
Yukichi retired from Alberta Ballet in 2016 and opened the H/W School of Ballet with his partners Galien Johnston Hattori and Tara Williamson. He continues to choreograph, collaborating with Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Theatre Calgary and Calgary Opera to name a few. He assumed the position of Artistic Director of Kittiwake Dance Theatre in August 2024.
Galien Johnston-Hattori – General Manager
Galien Johnston-Hattori received formal ballet training at Canada’s National Ballet School. Upon graduation, she danced professionally for the National Ballet of Canada, The Hamburg Ballet, and as a Principal Dancer with the Alberta Ballet Company. After retirement from her professional performing career, she studied in the Bachelor of Education program at Mount Royal University and assumed various guest teaching roles, particularly in Alberta and Japan. She then served as administrative assistant to the chair of Alberta Ballet where she was responsible for planning and executing events, liaising with donors, and other administrative and organizational tasks.
In 2016, she, along with partners Yukichi Hattori and Tara Williamson, opened H/W School of Ballet in Calgary. While teaching and directing the school, Galien honed her skills in finance, marketing, contract negotiation, curriculum development, scheduling and organization, production, supervision, and client relations management. Galien is settling into St. John’s and this next chapter of her career, as she guides Kittiwake’s operations through its bold, new era.
Vernon Regehr – Music Consultant
Conductor and cellist Vernon Regehr is thrilled to join Kittiwake Dance Theatre in the newly established role of music consultant. He’s conducted performances with the St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic (Russia), Newfoundland Sinfonia, Glenn Gould School, and has been the director of the Memorial University Chamber Orchestra since 2003. Recently, the MUN orchestra performed with renowned Canadian pianist Jon Kimura Parker as part of a co-production with the Toronto Symphony’s sesquicentennial events. He has led a number of major collaborations within the School including fully staged opera productions of Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte and The Magic Flute, Menotti’s The Medium, Humperdink’s Hansel and Gretel and Will Todd’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
An avid performer and teacher, he serves on the faculty of the Tuckamore Chamber Music Festival, and has been invited to festivals and concert venues across North America. His solo album, Full Spectrum, features Canadian works for unaccompanied cello including Lamentations, winner of an East Coast Music Award for Composition of the Year. Recently he commissioned and premiered Andrew Staniland’s Calamus song cycle with soprano Jane Leibel, and is currently collaborating with author and filmmaker Kenneth J. Harvey to reimagine the cycle as a collection of short films.
Lydia Reid – Administrative Coordinator
Lydia is a graduate of Memorial University, where she completed her Bachelor of Commerce in 2022. She has worked with Kittiwake since January 2020 in various capacities and roles alongside her career as a Digital Marketing Specialist at Amplified Social. Lydia also teaches rhythmic spin classes at a local spin studio here in St. John’s.
When she’s not working, she loves to travel and has explored North & South America, Europe and Asia. She also adores her two cats, Whiskey and Smokey, and her golden retriever, Bella.