Darwin Leslie

Darwin Leslie is a young man striving to find his place in the world, as well as his own artistic purpose. He was raised in Christina Lake, B.C., where he did a combination of homeschooling and public school until he graduated from Grand Forks Secondary School. Through his mother's connections as a cancan dancer, he soon met Vanesa Reyes, who would eventually open a dance studio where he'd practice the art of dance from 2022-2025. During Darwin's time at Grand Forks Performing Arts (Vanesa's studio), he'd learn about the hard work behind every dance artist, about the industry as well as the lives of those in it. As Vanesa was previously a dancer for Cirque du Soleil, and her brothers also had a large life of dance in Vegas. Those very brothers of Vanesa would come to choreograph dances for GFPR (Grand Forks Performing Arts), with Darwin having the honour of participating in those numbers. His Favourites of which were Lose Control: a duo by Miguel and Vanesa Reyes, Bury A Friend: another duo by Vanesa Reyes, Bailey Zamac, and Darwin, and In This shirt: a group number by Brian. The reason these have his favour is because he truly felt connected in them, to the music, to the movements, and to his fellow dancers. Darwin feels he has only scratched the surface of such a thing, though, as he wishes to discover the meaning and feeling in new dances and make new connections. Darwin is grateful for how far his studio has pushed him; now he is ready to move forward and discover his own artistic style and develop new connections through dance.