Maya de Leon is a Filipino-American dancer and dance teacher who began her training at the Greater Lansing Ballet Company in Michigan. As a student, she received scholarships to many summer intensives including the National Choreography Intensive, Colorado Conservatory of Dance, and the 2014 International Ballet Competition. Maya continued her dance training at Point Park University where she graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2019 and had the pleasure of being cast in pieces by Jae Man Joo, Matthew Powell, Helen Simoneau, Christopher Wheeldon, and Edwaard Liang among others. She began her professional career at the age of 19 touring Michigan with Third Coast Dance Company and has also danced with Ballet Quad Cities. Maya is excited to be back at Central Illinois Ballet for her second season! Since joining CIB, some of her favorite roles have been Mina in Dracula, Clara in The Nutcracker, and The Sea Witch in The Little Mermaid.  Maya is a certified Youth Protection Advocate in Dance and hopes to continue the tradition of ballet by emphasizing wellness and inclusion to help cultivate and inspire young dancers who will brighten the future of ballet.