Liza Van Heerden is from Cape Town, South Africa where she began dancing at a young age with Marina Nicalaou and later with the Cape Junior Ballet School. She went on to study at the Kirov Academy of Ballet of Washington D.C for four years, receiving Russian training under teachers from the Vaganova Academy, Bolshoi, and Perm schools. After graduating as valedictorian with honors, she went on to study at Butler University as a member of Butler Ballet. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Dance: Arts Administration and a minor in English with high honors in the Spring of 2023. She has performed in a range of classical ballet repertoire including Giselle, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Le Corsaire, and La Bayadere. She also performed in a production of Balanchine’s Serenade while at Butler under the direction of Deborah Wingert. At Butler, she had many opportunities to work on other styles such as modern and jazz, as well as practicing her own choreographic skills. She has had experience teaching classical ballet classes in Cape Town as well as during her time at Kirov. She joined Ballet Theatre Company as a Company Dancer in 2023. There she performed coveted roles such as the Lilac Fairy in Sleeping Beauty, Queen of the Dryads in Don Quixote, and many more. She also taught all ages ballet technique and choreographed for students in the school. Growing up, Liza attended summer intensives including Kirov Academy, Ellison Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, and Bolshoi Ballet. She is looking forward to joining Toledo Ballet and performing with them for this upcoming season!