Maya de Leon 
Principal Dancer

Maya de Leon is a Filipino-American dancer and dance teacher. She began her training at the Greater Lansing Ballet Company in Michigan and continued dancing at Point Park University where she graduated Summa Cum Laude with her bachelor’s degree in dance. At Point Park, Maya had the pleasure of being cast in pieces by Jae Man Joo, Matthew Powell, Jay Kirk, Christopher Wheeldon, and Edwaard Liang among others. She began her professional career at the age of 19 touring Michigan with Third Coast Dance Company under the direction of Kristen Bennett Harrison and Lynn Bowman. Throughout her professional career Maya has performed in Pittsburgh, PA; Lansing, MI; the Quad Cities; Cedar Rapids, IA and beyond. Maya began her time at CIB as an apprentice in 2020 and had the honor of being promoted to principal dancer in 2022. Since joining CIB, she has had the opportunity to perform a wide variety of roles including Mina (Dracula), the Sugar Plum Fairy (The Nutcracker), Tinker Bell (Peter Pan), Juliet (excerpts from Romeo and Juliet), and Odette (excerpts from Swan Lake). Maya's favorite part of being in CIB is the many outreach and collaborative opportunities the company has to offer! She has loved dancing with groups around Central Illinois such as PJ Dance Academy, the Peoria Symphony Orchestra, and Corn Stock Theatre. In addition to performing, Maya has spearheaded outreach programs enjoyed by Peoria Public Schools, Central Illinois' homeschool community, the Montessori School of Peoria, and more. Outside of dancing, Maya enjoys playing the piano, drawing, and, most of all, reading. She values the art of storytelling in her dancing and truly enjoys sharing stories with audiences in such a universal way. Maya also serves as the Academy Director of Cornerstone Academy of Performing Arts - official school of Central Illinois Ballet. She is a certified Youth Protection Advocate in Dance and hopes to continue the tradition of ballet by emphasizing wellness, inclusion, and well-rounded education to help cultivate and inspire young dancers who will brighten the future of ballet.