About Me

Elise Leonard is a Midwest-raised, Milwaukee-based dance artist, choreographer, writer, and arts advocate whose work lives at the intersection of movement and language. Originally from Minnesota, Elise began dancing at age five with the Mankato Ballet Company, where she trained intensively through age seventeen. Performing annually in The Nutcracker and a range of original story ballets, she developed an early love for storytelling through performance—drawn to the way dance could evoke joy, empathy, and the full spectrum of human experience while fostering deep, communal connection.

In parallel with her dance training, Elise cultivated a profound relationship with the written word. Throughout high school, she envisioned a future rooted in English studies, inspired by her love of poetry and fascination with language as a malleable, expressive form. That dual passion ultimately became central to her artistic identity. Realizing she wasn’t ready to leave dance behind—or confine it to a hobby—she pursued formal training at the University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory, working toward a BFA in Dance. There, she studied codified modern techniques including Graham, Horton, and Limón, alongside ballet and contemporary forms.

Elise later transferred to the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, where she expanded her academic and creative practice by adding a second major in Creative Writing. At UWM, her work deepened beyond performance into choreography, somatics, and dance research. Her interdisciplinary perspective began to take fuller shape as she explored how narrative, embodiment, and lived experience inform one another.

During her time in Milwaukee, Elise has had the opportunity to perform and collaborate with a range of artists, including working with Kade Pyle of Ballez (NYC) and David Rousseve through his CARE program, culminating in a community-centered performance collaboration between the university and Milwaukee’s local ballroom community. She joined Milwaukee-based artist Katelyn Altman in her evening-length work IN WAKE (2025) and frequently collaborates with Lia Smith Redman of Redmann Dance Company.

Beyond the stage, Elise is deeply invested in the sustainability and accessibility of the arts. Through her leadership within a student dance organization, she played a key role in producing and expanding an annual student choreography showcase, helping to grow it into a large-scale, community-supported event. Her volunteer and administrative work with various dance organizations has sparked a strong interest in the behind-the-scenes labor that allows art to exist—fueling her commitment to supporting dance not only as a performer, but as an organizer, advocate, and facilitator.

Elise is also a dance photographer, using her lens to celebrate movement and help artists market their work while preserving the ephemeral beauty of performance. Across all mediums, she is driven by a desire to connect—to make people feel seen, moved, and engaged.

Looking forward, Elise aims to continue building a multidisciplinary career that bridges performance, choreography, writing, education, and arts advocacy. Whether in the studio, on the page, behind the camera, or in the community, she is committed to expanding access to dance, fostering meaningful collaboration, and championing the enduring value of live, embodied art in an increasingly digital world.