Michele Wiles is an American

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

dancer. She was a

principal dancer A principal dancer (often shortened to principal) is a dancer at the highest rank within a professional dance company, particularly a ballet company. A principal may be male or female. The position is similar to that of '' soloist''; however, p ...

with American Ballet Theatre from 2005 - 2011. In 2011, she left ABT to form the independent classical ballet company Ballet Next with former

New York City Ballet New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company' ...

principal dancer Charles Askegard.

Biography

Wiles was born May 7, 1980. She began studying ballet in Washington, D.C. where, at the age of ten, she received a full scholarship to the

Kirov Academy of Ballet The Kirov Academy of Ballet (formerly the Universal Ballet Academy) was a ballet school in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1989. It closed in May 2022 due to financial issues. Facilities The Kirov is located on a 1.2 acre campus in northeas ...

. She studied at the Kirov from 1991 to 1997, during which time she also participated in summer programs at the Joffrey Ballet and

The Royal Ballet The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded in ...

. Michele joined American Ballet Theatre's Studio Company in 1997. In 1996, Michele was a Gold Medal winner at the 18t
International Ballet Competition
in

Varna Varna may refer to: Places Europe *Varna, Bulgaria, a city in Bulgaria **Varna Province **Varna Municipality ** Gulf of Varna **Lake Varna **Varna Necropolis *Vahrn, or Varna, a municipality in Italy *Varniai, a city in Lithuania * Varna (Šaba ...

,
Bronze Medal winner
in

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most po ...

, Japan and a finalist at th
Paris International Dance Competition
She was a Princess Grace Foundation – U.S.A. Dance Fellowship recipient for 1999–2000 and won th
Erik Bruhn Prize
in 2002. (See also: Erik Bruhn) Michele joined American Ballet Theatre in 1998. She became a Soloist in 2000 and was promoted to

Principal Dancer A principal dancer (often shortened to principal) is a dancer at the highest rank within a professional dance company, particularly a ballet company. A principal may be male or female. The position is similar to that of '' soloist''; however, p ...

in 2005. She created leading roles in Concerto No. 1 for Piano and Orchestra, Gong and Within You Without You: A Tribute to George Harrison.

Ballet Next

Wiles and Charles Askegard founded the Ballet Next company which had its premiere at the

Joyce Theater The Joyce Theater (“The Joyce") is a 472-seat dance performance venue located in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City. The building opened in 1941 as the Elgin Theater, a movie house, and was gut-renovated and reconfigured in 1981-82 to re ...

on Monday, November 21, 2011.

References

;Common misspellings: :The name Michele Wiles may be misspelled in some contexts. "Michele" is frequently incorrectly shown as "Michelle" and "Wiles" is sometimes seen, also incorrectly, as "Wyles".

External links

* ** Ballet Next
Cupcakes & Conversation with Michele Wiles
''

Ballet News Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

''. April 21, 2011. {{DEFAULTSORT:Wiles, Michele American Ballet Theatre principal dancers American ballerinas People from Baltimore Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Princess Grace Awards winners