Maya de Leon 
Principal Dancer

Maya de Leon is a Filipino-American dancer and dance teacher who began her training at the Greater Lansing Ballet Company in Michigan. Maya continued her training 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 is excited to be back at Central Illinois Ballet for her third season! Since joining CIB, she has had the opportunity to perform a wide variety of roles including Mina in Dracula, the Sea Witch in The Little Mermaid, the Tin Woman in Wizard of Oz, and Odette in a collaboration with the Peoria Symphony Orchestra featuring Swan Lake. Maya also serves as the Operations Manager of Cornerstone Academy of Performing Arts – official school of Central Illinois Ballet. 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.