Carmen Leardi

Carmen Leardi is a dance and theatre performer and creator from Amherstburg, Ontario.  She has trained extensively in ballet, jazz, musical theatre, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, commercial jazz, and tap, as well as modern, Gaga, heels, house, salsa, samba, and capoeira. 

Carmen has been teaching and coaching performers of all ages for the past decade, in studios, schools, and camps.  Her students and her “outstanding choreography” have been recognized on stages across Canada and the United States, receiving top scores for choreography, and performance.

Most recently on stages, Carmen has toured the GTA performing in theatre for young audiences, and was commissioned by Art & Water to produce and perform her original installation, “Moving Canvas,” a durational piece intersecting dance and visual art forms on Toronto’s harbour front.  On screens, Carmen’s choreography was featured in Windsor artist, Mike Hargreaves’ recent music video, “Let It All Out,” and her dance short, “Season of Seven Loves,” was featured on CBC’s Absolutely Canadian.  Other career highlights include performing live with “Weird Al” Yankovic, and that one time Martha Nichols (The Greatest Showman) called her “amazing”.

Carmen is also a certified fitness instructor, and leads powerful and refreshing classes that encompass her love of movement and personal growth.  Growing up as a competitive dancer, Carmen was always looking for a way to achieve more strength and flexibility.  Now, she looks to educate young performers on building more understanding and caring relationships with their bodies, in order to work towards their athletic goals.

Carmen has regularly given interviews with CBC RadioCanada, and smaller organizations about her experiences as an emerging professional, and has a wealth of knowledge to share.

Carmen is a graduate of Randolph College for the Performing Arts.

Instagram: @carmenleardi
carmenleardi.com