LESLIE VAN WINKLE (Ensemble) started her career in dancing with the School of the Grand Rapids Ballet under the direction of Gordon Pierce Schmidt and Laura Schwenk-Berman. As a Senior Trainee with the Grand Rapids Ballet, she had the opportunity to perform in many of their main stage performances such as The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, Aladdin, Coppelia, and Swan Lake. Leslie attended Belhaven University where she graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance Performance. At Belhaven, Leslie was privileged to have performed in works by resident faculty Laura Morton-Zebert and Cynthia Newland, as well as Balanchine’s Serenade and Ben Stevenson’s Coppelia. Leslie is thrilled to be a part of the world premiere of La Casa Azul!
