Photo by Erik Saulitis for James Sewell Ballet, 2004
“a fascinating and beguiling dancer—so lanky, loose, and idiosyncratic that his fine-tuned ballet chops take you by surprise... ”
“Justin Leaf was magnificently love sick in a Bizet song, alternating between caving in with despair and thrusting himself off balance.”
“But Mr. Leaf nearly steals the show, as he does throughout the evening, with his long, looping body, goofy earnestness and mass of curls.”
Hello and welcome. I’m a ballet teacher and performance artist based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Here’s a little about me:
DANCER • I was company member of James Sewell Ballet and Minnesota Dance Theatre and have also danced works by Ernesta Corvino, John Kelly, Morgan Thorson, and George Stamos, among others. I trained at The Kirov Academy, School of American Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet School before graduating from The Juilliard School with a BFA in Dance Performance.
BALLET TEACHER • I’ve taught ballet for various schools and companies over the past 20+ years, including Ballet Hispánico, James Sewell Ballet, Minnesota Dance Theatre, Ballet Co.Laboratory, and Minnesota Ballet. My teaching approach is influenced by all my professional experiences as well as my work with master teachers Andra and Ernesta Corvino.
CHOREOGRAPHER • My choreography has been presented by Minnesota Dance Theatre, James Sewell Ballet, Minnesota Orchestra, among others.
PERFORMANCE ARTIST • Currently, my performance work encompasses dance, theater, and vocal performance. Since 2006, I most often perform as Mistress Ginger, and as Ginger authored Mistress Ginger Cooks!: Everyday Vegan Food for Everyone, published in 2014.
AWARDS & HONORS
Zaraspe Prize for Outstanding Choreography (2001)
Minnesota SAGE Award for Best Performance (2007)
McKnight Fellowship for Dancers, administered by the Southern Theater and funded by the McKnight Foundation (2009)
Next Step Fund Grant, funded by the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council (2014)