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.

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), Tinkerbell (Peter Pan), Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) the titular role in Firebird, and the Sugar Plum Fairy (The Nutcracker). She has enjoyed sharing her passion for dance with the Peoria community by guest performing and teaching for organizations such as Peoria Symphony Orchestra, Corn Stock Theatre, PJ Dance Academy, and Lutheran Hillside Village. 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. Maya served as Academy Director of Cornerstone Academy from 2023-2025. During this time, she established the school’s curriculum and choreographed beloved ballets Coppélia, Don Quixote, and Peter and the Wolf as well as her own original ballet Robin Hood.

Outside of dancing, Maya enjoys playing the piano, drawing, and reading. She values the art of storytelling in her dancing and truly enjoys sharing stories with audiences in such a universal way. 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. Maya would like to extend her gratitude to her amazing family and fiancé Logan for their unwavering support. Maya dances in memory of her childhood ballet instructor Barbara Banasikowski Smith.