; :The heroine of the manga, Masumi is a 16-year-old Japanese girl whose life changes after entering a ballet competition and winning a place at an exclusive national ballet school. She grew up in rural Japan (
Hokkaido) with her widowed father. She is filled with self-doubt, but passionately loves ballet. She has a weakness that is a self-defense mechanism which kicks in when she feels threatened or less than up to par. She will suddenly become deaf and is unable to hear anything. This is something that she seems to start to overcome as the series moves forward. ; :An accomplished young ballerina, who fears her chance at stardom will be lost to the younger Masumi. Sayoko has been interested in ballet since she was a very small girl. Although she resents Masumi for being younger and having more opportunity to grow as a dancer, Sayoko still feels sympathy for the naive Masumi. Sayako was a Prima Ballerina for one night during the production of
Sleeping Beauty in which she played Aurora. But the second night of the production ended in disaster when she completely severed her Achilles tendon during a grand jete. This tests her strength and determination and makes her grow as a person. She must learn to dance again. Where once it was easy, it's now difficult. But she loves ballet and is determined to regain what she lost. ; :A talented young male dancer who has known Sayoko for a long time. They are normally partnered together. His rival and friend is Aoi, who jokes about wanting a chance to dance with Sayoko. He is in love with Sayoko, but also finds himself attracted to Masumi and the passion she has for ballet. He finally has to make a decision and tells Masumi that the only one for him his Sayako. He even asks Sayoko to be his partner in ballet for as long as they both dance. ; :The best friend and rival of Hisho. Aoi is a genius of ballet. He acts wildly, creatively, lively. He secretly loves Masumi but she sees no interest because she loves Hisho. He is bold and dynamic. He receives the role of Perelsnik in "Song of the Forest" and uses his love and passion for Masumi to interpret the role. He eventually leaves for Monaco. No one can tell what this aspiring danseur noble will do in the future. ; :A junior of Masumi in the ballet school and her rival. Her mother long ago was Masumi's mother's rival, but she couldn ever never win against Masumi's mother, so she is strict to her daughters. ; :Masumi's teacher. He's a very accomplished danseur noble and feels that Masumi holds great promise. He encourages her to work hard and to remember the basics. It's hard to say what goes on in his mind, but he cares for Masumi deeply. ; :An aspiring danseur noble from
West Germany. He's very charismatic, but confuses Masumi to no end. He has a tendency to irritate her, but then can be very caring and kind. When he first meets Masumi, he says he didn't realize she was dancing ballet and thought it was Japanese folk dancing. As the series progresses, he tells Masumi that they will be partners. He says they are very much alike and he knows they will be partners in their careers. ; :Self-proclaimed lifetime rival of Masumi. Lost to Masumi during a contest with the
Odile variation because of reckless mistakes. She hasn't forgotten and has told Masumi that they will be rivals for life. Can be very irritating, but is a kind person at heart. ; :Larissa's cousin. She is beautiful, sylph-like, and the prodigy of
Russia. Her innate ability to emulate fairy creatures is uncanny. The first time Masumi's weakness comes out is after she watched Lilliana perform The White Swan from
Swan Lake. She was supposed to perform after Lilliana and it terrified her. She felt inadequate and became deaf to the music. Masumi finds her wonderful and adorable outside competition, but has a tendency to lose herself when competing against Lilliana. ; :A mysterious ex-dancer who comes into Masumi's life out of the blue. In time, she comes to realize that this man and her now-deceased mother had been in love and had danced together. Serge helps Masumi when she has problems trying to find her Shirin for a competition. He shows her how to express herself through the movement and to become the character. He tells her that only through great suffering can true dancing be achieved. Much is hinted about this man, but no questions have been answered. ; :A
British ballerina who is Masumi's roommate when she is studying at Royal Academy of United Kingdom. ; :A
Cuban ballet dancer who is Sayoko's fan. He is Masumi's senior when she is studying at Royal Academy. ; :An
American master of modern ballet. Masumi comes with Leonhardt to United States to learn from him. ; :One of Balanchine's students. A member of the solo dancers performing at New York. Being watched by . ; :An American ballet student, one of Leon's friends. Later Masumi and he have a romantic relationship, but their end is a tragedy. ; :Another friend of Leon and American ballet student. ; :A friend of Leon's and an American ballerina. She has advice for Masumi when she is in New York. == Publication ==