Elizabeth Grande-Rodriguez, a native of Dalton, Massachusetts, began dancing at the age of three. Her first professional training experience was with the Bossov Ballet Theatre in Pittsfield, Maine, where she studied for three consecutive summers. She also completed summer training with American Ballet Theatre, Ballet Austin, and José Mateo Ballet Theatre. In 2007, she was accepted as a dance major at The Hartt School at the University of Hartford. There she performed a variety of roles in numerous works, including the lead in Raymonda, the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, and also roles in Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, Giselle, Les Sylphides, Bolero, Steps in the Street, and Dark Elegies. In May 2011, she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ballet Pedagogy. Elizabeth then began her professional career, dancing three seasons with Ballet Theatre of Maryland (BTM), as well as two seasons with the Charlottesville Ballet. Elizabeth also performed as a guest artist and freelancer with the Eastern Connecticut Ballet, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, Roanoke Ballet Theatre, and Stavna Ballet, and she continues to freelance today. Alongside her performance career, Elizabeth has worked extensively as a dance teacher for the past 14 years. She spent three years on faculty for BTM and six years as a faculty member and dance administrator for the Charlottesville Ballet Academy. She is also the author of a dance blog entitled “The J.O.D. Blog – The Joy Of Dance”. Elizabeth is thrilled to continue her career in dance in the Boston area and eager to share the “joy of dance” with the students and families of JLDC.