Dance Styles / Contemporary, Jazz
Lesley MacLean (they/she) is an AuDHD (autistic and ADHD) artist with over ten years of choreography, dance and performance experience in a variety of styles including contemporary, jazz, musical theatre and hip-hop. A 2022 Theatre Nova Scotia Merritt Award nominee, Lesley has choreographed musicals at both the Highland Arts Theatre and Savoy Theatre including Matilda (2019), As You Like It (2022) and Frozen Jr. (2021). They have collaborated with Painted Dance Collective to teach classes from youth to adult and worked as Assistant Director and contributing choreographer for the Collective’s full-length dance production, Harmonia (2021). Most recently, Lesley presented her first independent project, OVERLOAD, at the Lumière Art-At-Night Festival in Sydney (2024).
As a freelance choreographer, Lesley has taught classes across Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Her unique style is based in contemporary and jazz technique and focuses on musicality, texture and self-expression. Lesley continuously seeks new opportunities to train and grow as an artist and has worked with many instructors and choreographers including Amey Rahey, Hazel Sparling, Cora Kozaris, Shawn Bracke, and Cat Cogliandro, to name a few. She is passionate about teaching and creating safe spaces where dancers can explore, play, and support one another.
Whether teaching a class, choreographing or performing, Lesley brings an openness for exploration along with her deep lifelong passion for the arts.