In 2001, Justin Leaf graduated from the Juilliard School with a BFA in Dance Performance. He has studied ballet pedagogy with master teachers Andra and Ernesta Corvino (www.corvinoballet.org). As a teacher, Justin draws from his extensive experience as a professional dancer for James Sewell Ballet (2002-08) and for Minnesota Dance Theatre (2008-present). He has served as a guest instructor for The Dance Institute, James Sewell Ballet, The Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Arts, Summit Dance Shoppe, and Larkin Dance Studio. Currently, Justin offers private lessons and an open ballet class at The Fixx Workout Studio in South Minneapolis.
Justin is also an accomplished choreographer and has been commissioned to create works for Minnesota Dance Theatre, James Sewell Ballet, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Metropolitan Ballet, and the Saint Paul Conservatory for the Performing Arts, Normandale Lutheran Church, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Plymouth Congregational Church, as well as for his own performance company, Junkyard Theater. For his choreographic work, he has received the Zaraspe Prize (2001) and a Minnesota SAGE Award (2007). Justin is also a recipient of a 2009 McKnight Fellowship for Dancers, funded by the McKnight Foundation and administered by the Southern Theater.
"I want to do as much as possible to honor my values--that is, educating others on the animals' plight."