Dance and choreography,  Lee Baladejo 

I have been dancing since the age of 2 and trained through competition dance in jazz, tap, ballet, and contemporary. Dance is my second language, my first love, and my body's home. It tells the stories my mouth can't and reaches beyond language barriers. It's one of our universal languages as humans.

I started choreographing in high school for pep rallies and have now moved into choreographing full musicals and plays. 

I would describe my type of choreography as ranging from pure musical theater fun to gestural--expressive--pedestrian--contemporary. Some of my choreography inspirations are Pina Bausch, Shay Latukolan, Nicholas Palmquist, and The Carberrys. I love watching a story come to life through dance and am so excited to continue to use movement to tell stories. 

I also have a passion for teaching dance, specifically to those who consider themselves "non-dancers" as I love sharing my passion with those who haven't had a chance to experience it yet. In the summer of 2022, I was lucky enough to teach musical theater dance at the first MT camp at Brevard in NC. My mission as a teacher is to take the fear out of learning how to dance and teach the students how to embrace one's unique physical life. It truly is so rewarding to watch people explore their world of movement and see them start a new conversation with their bodies. I believe that dance is for absolutely everyone and every- body has a story to share that deserves to be listened to.