Leslie Bitong – Full-Time Faculty

The Golden West College Dance Department welcomes dancer/choreographer Leslie Bitong to the department beginning in Fall 2019.  Leslie will teach modern, contemporary, ballet, strength & stretch and choreography.  She will also teach “Viewing Dance” online.

As a professional dancer in both the concert and commercial dance sectors, Leslie has performed repertoire by Mia Michaels, Martha Graham, and George Balanchine, and has appeared in commercials and industrials for Mentos, Admiral’s Club, ASIA, and Sepideh.

Leslie has also served as an adjunct professor at several colleges and universities including: UC Irvine, Moorpark College, Cerritos College, and Saddleback College. She has taught master classes and shown her choreography worldwide, reaching LA, New York, China, Germany, London, and Italy, and served as the head Jazz Dance Instructor for the Professional Dance Academy of Stuttgart, Germany.

Leslie received her BFA from the University of Arizona School of Dance, and her MFA from the University of California, Irvine. She has developed a body of work that has been selected for national and international festivals, competitions, and invitationals. She was chosen as a finalist at the Capezio A.C.E. Awards and for events such as the Arizona Jazz Dance Showcase, Carnival Choreographer’s Ball in Hollywood, Theaterhaus in Stuttgart Germany, and many more.

Leslie has had successful residencies teaching dance at several universities including the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the University of Rome, Tor Ve Gata. A passionate educator, Leslie teaches many different genres and styles of dance, as well as its theory and history. Her emotional and dynamic choreographic aesthetic incorporates elements of hip-hop, modern, ballet, jazz, and contemporary, displaying intricate musicality and technique. Leslie is making her mark on the world of dance and dance education by bringing an innovative and experimental, yet academic and historical point of view to choreography and pedagogy.

The GWC dance department is happy to welcome Leslie Bitong and look forward to having her share her talents with our students.