Ballet Faculty
Shaina Leibson has had a nearly 20-year career as a professional ballet dancer and has been a ballet instructor in the US and internationally for more than a decade. She danced with several ballet companies including Alberta Ballet, Ballet Austin, and Ballet San Jose where she performed for eight years. Shaina was a soloist dancer with Ballett im Revier in Germany and spent five seasons as a Principal Dancer with Bay Pointe Ballet, based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Shaina has been featured in many ballets and has performed throughout Europe, toured to Saint Petersburg Russia, and performed on an eight city tour through China with Ballet San Jose. Some of her principal rolls have included the Sugar Plum Fairy, Swanilda in Bruce Steivel’s Coppelia, Lucy in Dracula, and Wendy in Peter Pan. Other repertoire Shaina has performed includes numerous works by George Balanchine, Christopher Wheeldon, Frederick Ashton, and Anthony Tudor. Shaina has performed in many full-length ballets such as Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella, and Giselle. While in Germany, Shaina performed original creations by Bridget Briner, Cathy Marston, and Jiri Bubenicek.
Shaina received her ballet training from the renowned San Francisco Ballet School. She earned a merit scholarship to spend a year studying abroad at the Performing Arts College, London Studio Centre in England where she received a Diploma with High Honors. Shaina also holds certification in the American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum.
Shaina attributes the longevity of her ballet career to her active interest in body mechanics. She is a certified GYROTONIC® Instructor with her own studio in Saratoga, California where she has the privilege to cross train young and professional dancers and to work with all people interested in mindful movement. Shaina teaches ballet technique based on her detailed understanding of body alignment, for which she is known throughout the dance community. Because of this knowledge, she was invited to move to Germany where she had a position teaching esteemed professional dancers. Shaina also served on the Gotland international Dance Seminar’s faculty for five years in Sweden.
Shaina is excited to return to Los Gatos Ballet as an instructor.