Leslie was born in the small town of West Lafayette, Indiana. As a young child, she was blessed with the opportunity to experience and train in a variety of dance disciplines such as Ballet, Tap, Jazz and Russian. One of her first memories of being on stage is playing a role in the Nutcracker ballet as one of the young clowns hiding under Mother Ginger’s enormous dress! She loved every minute of the performance and knew at a very early age that dance would always be a part of her life. After making her way to the bay area at the age of 17, she began to expand her love and knowledge of dance by studying Belly Dancing and Hip Hop. She was introduced to Salsa through a college friend who was interested in the Salsa dance and social scene. In 2007, Leslie joined Salsamania Dance Company where she trained and performed with Projecto Mania (Salsamania’s amateur dance team) as well as Son de Mania (Salsamania’s Semi-Pro dance team). In January 2011, Leslie joined the Afinkao Dance Company where she has continued to further grow as a dancer. Music and dance has always had a special place in Leslie’s heart, and she looks forward to enjoying these passions forever.
