Makaila Wallace A Canadian born in Vallejo, California, Makaila started her professional dance training at the Royal School at age 14 and attended summer programs. She danced with the RWB company as an apprentice before moving to , Sweden to join the . There she had the opportunity to perform many lead roles (including Myrtha in Giselle, staged and casted by Natalia Makarova). After three years, she returned to Canada and joined Ballet BC where she danced for 11 years. Dancing nationally and internationally, her personal performance highlights have included works by choreographers Johan Inger, Crystal Pite, Aszure Barton, Serge Bennathan, Jorma Elo, Jiri Kylian and Medhi Walerski, among others. She has worked with Roberto Campanella and Robert Glumbek (ProArte Danza) and has taught ballet and creative exploration classes at a number of dance intensive and summer programs. In 2015 Makaila was asked to be a part of the Margie Gillis Legacy Project working intimately with Ms. Gillis and performing alongside her in Florilege in the Sechelt Arts Festival. She has also performed in Dances for a Small Stage and The Dance Deck Series and most recently played the role of Lady Capulet in Medhi Walerski's Romeo and Juliet. Makaila has worked alongside Jorma Elo as his choreographic assistant in Helsinki, Finland for a full- length production of Alice in Wonderland and coached his solos at the 2018 . In 2017-2018 she joined Ballet BC’s artistic staff as a part time rehearsal director and now continues to be an independent dance artist residing in Vancouver, BC.

Makaila will be teaching class with the Aspiarnt Program as well as staging and rehearsing some excerpts from Jorma Elo’s First Flash. It with great joy that we welcome Makaila back to the RWB!