Artistic Director, Lesley Bandy        www.lesleybandy.com   
Lesley Bandy grew up in Auckland, leaving at age 15 to train full-time at the Scottish Ballet School and then the Royal Ballet School in London. 
 
She performed with the Royal Opera Ballet at Covent Garden before moving first to the Lido in Paris and afterward to Hong Kong, Australia, Reno, and Las Vegas as Principal and Adagio dancer in Production Shows.
 
Lesley also freelanced, dancing many principal classical ballet roles while residing in the USA: Giselle, Sugar Plum Fairy, Odette, Swanhilda, Cinderella, Dying Swan, Don Quixote and Le Corsaire pas de deux, La Sylphide, and The Glove Seller in Gaite Parisienne. 
She also had contemporary ballet roles choreographed on her such as Red Sun Rising, Lizzie Borden, Time, and the solo, Genevieve. 
 
After a long dance career, Lesley held Entertainment Management positions with Harrah’s Entertainment; MGM Grand, and Universal Escape FL overseeing park-wide events such as Hallowe’en and Mardi Gras; the opening of Sky City’s theatre and entertainment department; and producing and directing/choreographing Las Vegas corporate shows.

Artistic Director for Nevada Festival Ballet and Opus Dance Theatre, Lesley also spent time as Dance Consultant for the reality TV show, Dance Moms in Los Angeles.
 
Lesley has staged, choreographed and directed ballet, opera, cabaret, musicals, fashion shows, and concerts. 

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Collaborator Laura Saxon Jones
(NZ School of Dance, Royal NZ Ballet) is not only a beautiful ballerina, but also a choreographer, teacher, and is in demand internationally for exciting projects involving movement and dance.
note from an audience member after experiencing Smile Lines - a duet for Lesley and Laura, choreographed by Loughlan Prior
"I just wished to say how artistically beautiful, sensitive and absolutely enthralling was your  performance. Such a moving piece. I want to see it again !!. Your contribution to the evening was so valuable and poignant, vivid and memorable. 
When dance is in your soul you can not live without it :-)".