Born and raised in Arlington, Texas, Emma Mayfield spent her childhood dancing for the love and fun of it. She trained in jazz, contemporary, and tap until she shifted her focus to ballet when she was 14. Emma studied the Vaganova method at Art Ballet Academy under the instruction of Mariya Kudyakova until she graduated in 2021. She was very fortunate to be able to dance several soloist roles like Mercedes from Don Quixote and Autumn Fairy from Cinderella during her training. After graduating, Emma furthered her training with the Pre-professional Division at Colorado Ballet then in the Professional Division at Nashville Ballet. Emma is very excited and thankful to be back at Central Illinois Ballet for her third season where she can continue to grow and share her love and passion for dance.