Learner Spotlight: William Wisneskey

William Wisneskey is a 16-year-old senior at iLEAD Exploration. His family relocated from New Orleans, Louisiana, to support William in his training in classical ballet. William is on a full pre-professional ballet scholarship with the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) Gillespie School at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa. He trains at least 30 hours per week in Upper 2, the highest level of training in the ABT curriculum. iLEAD provides the flexibility William needs to both finish his high school diploma and train as a pre-professional dancer in classical ballet.

William started ballet at the age of 12 and quickly fell in love with everything about it. He feels that ballet is the most strenuous and beautiful combination of art and sport. He is happiest while dancing and values every moment in the studio as a precious opportunity to improve, honor, and learn from the dancers before him. William feels there is nothing quite like the feeling of finishing a performance and having an audience applaud for you.

In addition to his training with ABT, William is dancing the role of Cavalier, consort to the Sugar Plum Fairy, in the Richter Ballet Academy Nutcracker. This lead role is usually danced by a hired professional, and William is the first trainee to be granted the role in this production. Information on this production is available here.

When he has time, William enjoys playing the game Magic: The Gathering. Last fall, he won a drop-in tournament in Anaheim. He also plays the piano, and Chopin is a favorite. Until ninth grade, William attended French School in Louisiana and participated in a student exchange program where he studied at the International School, Colège Cèsar, in Roque-Fort les Pins, near Nice. He is fluent in French and holds three French National Language and Education diplomas.

William is clearly an extremely accomplished and amazing young man with a very bright future. We are very proud of you, William!