Lesley Bories-Scalise is a guest artist in residence with the Mercyhurst University Dance Department, a freelance teacher, and choreographer. She began her dance training in Flint, Michigan under the direction of Gayla Zukevich. At age twelve she was invited, under full scholarship, to attend the National Ballet of Canada in Toronto, Ontario Canada, and continued her various dance studies under scholarship with Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, Interlochen Arts Academy and North Carolina School of the Arts. She was also one of only six dancers chosen from across the U.S. to attend a summer intensive trained by Suzanne Farrell and Paul Mejia in New York. Her professional career consisted of dancing with Chicago City Ballet under the direction of Maria Tallchief, Ballet Chicago under the direction of Daniel Duell and the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre under the direction of Patricia Wilde and Terrence Orr. While dancing with Ballet Chicago, she was a soloist guest artist in Ruth Page of Chicago, The Nutcracker, directed by Larry Long. Mrs. Bories-Scalise has performed numerous principal roles, some of which include: George Balanchine’s Square Dance, Western Symphony, Jewels, Apollo, The Four Temperaments, The Nutcracker, Daniel Duell’s Hansel and Gretal, Marius Petipa’s Sleeping Beauty, David Parson’s Hairy Night On Bald Mountain and Lisa de Ribere’s Amazing Grace. Mrs. Bories-Scalise has served on the teaching faculty of The Rock School of the Pennsylvania Ballet, Point Park University, New Castle Regional Dance, and Greater York Center for Dance Education. Mrs. Bories-Scalise was formerly the Executive/Artistic director of the Lake Erie Ballet School and Company where she choreographed an extensive repertoire of ballets and contemporary works including the full-length production of The Nutcracker. She continues teaching master classes locally and throughout the U.S. and is honored to be on the teaching faculty of the Mercyhurst University Dance Department.