Biography
James Leja was born in Montréal, Québec
and trained at the Quinte
Ballet School.
He joined The National Ballet of Canada’s Corps de Ballet in 2003.
Mr. Leja’s repertoire includes The Sleeping Beauty, Swan
Lake, Romeo and Juliet, Giselle, Don Quixote, The Nutcracker, Onegin,
The Taming of the Shrew, The Merry Widow, The Firebird, The Four Seasons,
Opus 19/The Dreamer and West Side Story Suite.
Mr. Leja danced in the world premieres of Watch her, An Italian Straw Hat, Cinderella
and Emergence and the North American premieres
of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Seagull and Carmen.
In 2010, Mr. Leja danced with the company in
24 Preludes by Chopin
at the Cultural Olympiad at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Mr. Leja was awarded the Patron Award of
Merit
by the Patron’s Council Committee of The National Ballet of Canada in 2006.
Quotes
The
Sleeping Beauty
“the Pussycats are caricatures mauling each
other far more zealously than usual. Tiffany Mosher and James Leja were very
funny and had the audiences laughing”
Dance Europe, 2010
The Nutcracker
“in
the ones to watch department, James Leja as the Fox showed a jumper and
technician of great promise.”
The
Globe and Mail, 2005