ABOUT
CADENZA'S STORY
Cadenza /kÉ™-dÄ•n′zÉ™/, noun. In music, a cadenza is, generically, an improvised or written-out ornamental passage played or sung by a soloist, usually in a "free" rhythmic style, and often allowing virtuosic display.
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Cadenza Ballet was born from years of truly listening to adult dancers—their goals, their frustrations, and their untapped potential. It is a program intentionally designed to make classical ballet technique not only accessible, but deeply rewarding, creating clear pathways toward the achievements many adult dancers have long been missing. As someone who returned to ballet as an adult, Leigh understands firsthand the physical demands, emotional complexities, and courage it takes to step into the studio, and she has built Cadenza Ballet to meet those challenges with empathy, intelligence, and inspiration.
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Drawing from her background as a pre-professional dancer, Leigh recognized critical gaps between traditional training and the needs of adult students—gaps that often prevent progress or compromise safety. Cadenza Ballet bridges those gaps with a powerful philosophy: ballet technique should work for the dancer, not the other way around. Rooted in the belief that every body is a ballet body, the program empowers students to move with confidence, freedom, and strength.
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More than just a class, Cadenza Ballet offers understanding. Through clear, thoughtful explanations and a variety of teaching modalities, complex technique becomes approachable, meaningful, and achievable. Guided by an ongoing commitment to dance science and medicine, Leigh continuously refines her curriculum to support her students’ growth, health, and artistry.
At its heart, Cadenza Ballet is a celebration—a love letter to adult dancers everywhere—honoring their passion and ensuring they experience the very best ballet has to offer.
MORE ABOUT LEIGH
Leigh Grant is a former elite pre-professional dancer and freelance professional dancer with 42 years of training and experience in ballet, and nearly a decade of teaching experience.
In her 40 years of dance training, she has been taught and coached by amazing dancers and teachers including: Finish Jhung, Madame Gabriella Darvash and Cynthia Vallone, and Frank Hatchett at Broadway Dance Center, and as a returning adult ballet dancer, with Runqiao Du, Berks Ballet Theatre, and many others.
At age 13, Leigh obtained her first professional freelance performance contract. At 23, injuries sidelined her from pursuing a performance career in ballet. Disheartened, she left dance to attend college. Leigh graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Theatre and Philosophy.
She realized how much she missed ballet and returned, not knowing where or how she'd fit in. She quickly returned to the ballet studio, this time as a teacher. In 2019, she audited the American Ballet Theatre's Teacher Training Curriculum program in New York City, in the famed studios that she previously entered as a hopeful ballet student two decades prior.
​ Now she is forging a path for herself as an adult ballet influencer and advocate, teacher, and director. She loves sharing her passion, expertise, and experiences with her students. ​
Outside of Cadenza, Leigh serves as Vice-President and Secretary of the New Mexico Dance Coalition, is President of a second board, and works part-time in business administration.