Marie-France Lévesque* is a former ballerina with American Ballet

Theatre. She previously danced with the Les Grands Ballets Canadiens for 3 years, where she performed several principal roles in Concerto Barocco, Jewels (Balanchine), The Nutcracker, and Carmina Burana, among others.

Mikhail Baryshnikov recruited Ms. Levesque to join ABT, where she danced for eleven years, performed several soloists and principal roles, and received an Artist of Exceptional Achievement status. She has trained and worked as a professional dancer from 1982 until 1998 with a legendary array of ballet masters teachers, star dancers and famous choreographers including: Mikhail Baryshnikov, Rudolph Nureyev, Natalia Makarova, Irina Kolpakova, Vladilen Semyonov, Agnes de Mille, Anthony Tudor, Kenneth McMillan, David Howard, Robert Denvers, Maggie Black, William Burmann,

Melissa Hayden,Lar Lubovitch,Twyla Tharp, and the list goes on.

Marie-France performed as a guest artist nationally and internationally. She danced in the renowned international gala of “Don des Etoiles” (Gifts of the Stars) in Montreal, Canada, alongside Sylvie Guillem, Paloma Herrera, Fernando Bujones, Patricia McBride and many other famous dancers. She danced “Soiree Musicale” (John Taras) with Wes Chapman, “Romeo and Juliet” balcony scene with Ricardo Bustamante and “Concerto” pas-de- deux (McMillan) with Ethan Brown.

Ms. Levesque has been choreographing and teaching at universities and

dance studios in the greater Los Angeles and Orange County area since

1996. She also established The Los Angeles Dance Company

(www.TheLADC.com), of which she is the Founder, Artistic and Executive

Director. Ms Lévesque regularly teaches master classes, private instruction and group classes in the greater Los Angeles and Orange County areas and is an ABT National Training Curriculum Certified Teacher from Primary Level to Level 7. Ms Lévesque has also been a guest Master Teacher at the Gillespie American Ballet Theatre Dance School in Costa Mesa for 10 years. She is an adjudicator for The Music Center Spotlight Awards

Competition every year and for the Youth American Grand Prix

International Competition.

Marie-France enjoys teaching all levels of ballet class from 6 to 96 years

old: including Pre-Professional, Intermediate, Beginner as well as all levels

of Adult classes.