Japanese dancer wins ballet contest

Misa Kuranaga knew that the repertoire -- Black Swan pas de deux and Diana and Acteon -- was her weakness.

But the petite, nimble dancer forgot her fears when she took to the stage in Jackson, Miss., on Friday, persuading a panel of international judges to award her gold. Kuranaga was named the women’s senior gold medalist for the USA International Ballet Competition, considered one of the most important ballet contests in North America.

“The repertoire I brought was not my decision. It was my weakness, actually. It was my first time being on stage doing that, so I was a little worried,” said the 23-year-old from Japan, who has performed with the Boston Ballet for three years.

Daniil Simkin, 19, of Germany, won in the senior men’s category. The son of two former ballet dancers, Simkin has performed on stage since age 6.

The USA IBC is the United States’ official international ballet competition. For two weeks, 99 dancers from 24 countries performed in the three-round competition, many eliminated along the way. A final performance from the winners will be held Sunday.