Dutch National Ballet principal Riho Sakamoto carries a hand-knit legwarmer, a pair of Romeo and Juliet–themed socks and a phone loaded with Japanese comedy podcasts wherever she dances.

Sakamoto, whose repertoire spans contemporary works like David Dawson's Empire Noir and an upcoming debut as Nikiya in La Bayadère, recently performed in Houston at the Youth America Grand Prix annual Stars of Today Meet the Stars of Tomorrow gala. There, she and fellow Dutch National principal Constantine Allen danced José Martinez's Delibes Suite.

The bag itself is a plain travel piece from Japan. "I went home to Japan recently, and when I'm there my mom always wants to buy things for me," she told Pointe Magazine. "This was one of them."

The Goods

Legwarmers. A friend from her student days at the Kirov Academy in Washington, DC, knitted the pair; Sakamoto keeps one legwarmer with her at all times. "I usually have legwarmers on if I have an injury, but even if I don't, I have this one," she says. "It feels like home to put this on."

Fashion favorites. A friend gave her Romeo and Juliet–themed socks to mark her debut as Juliet in October 2025. "It's one of my favorite roles now, and when these socks are clean, they're the first ones I wear," she says.

Her purple ballet skirt comes from a fellow Dutch National dancer, Sho Yamada, who made skirts during the COVID pandemic. "He's too busy now," she says. "They were a trend within the company."

Her personal aesthetic runs loud. "My style is all over the place," she says. "Nothing matches, but I don't care. I wear lots of colors, I think because in school we wore very monochromatic uniforms in black, blue, and brown."

Pointe shoes and ballet flats. Sakamoto wears "Anchor"-maker Freeds, cutting half the shank out and favoring a hard box with soft wings and a "threadbare" toe pad. For flats, she chooses Bloch. "Blochs have the perfect amount of grip," she says.

Warm-up tools. She uses a TheraBand to warm up her ankles. Because she tends to pronate, she also practices balances and relevés on half a foam roller to keep her arches lifted.

Phone and headphones. Instead of music before a performance, she plugs into a Japanese comedy podcast. "It takes my mind off of what I have to do onstage," she says. "If I overthink, I'm not going to perform my best, so I like to have a laugh when I'm warming up."

Style essentials. She carries a bag of pins and hairnets as backup, but her signature bun needs just two mini claw clips. A perfume oil, bought during Dutch National's most recent tour to New York City, completes the kit.

With her Nikiya debut in La Bayadère on the horizon, the principal's mix of practical rigor and personal keepsakes — from a friend's knitting to her mother's gift — will travel with her from Amsterdam to the stage.