Mahalia Zellmer,  an Iowa native, received her dance training at Ballet Quad Cities School of Dance studying ballet, modern, jazz, tap, contemporary, African and Indian dance. As a young student, she performed in Artistic Director Courtney Lyon's The Nutcracker, eventually earning corps de ballet roles with Ballet Quad Cities in Alice in Wonderland, Peter and the Wolf, and Paris en Pointe while still in high school. After graduating, she joined BQC as a company trainee for two seasons. She has received additional training in improvisation, choreography and performance at the Glenda Brown Choreography Project in the Kansas City, MO. Notable performances include The Red Queen and March Hare in Lyon’s Alice in Wonderland, Meghan Phillips’ solo Reverie at the Figge Art Museum, and Emily Kate Long’s Four Square at Ballet on The Lawn 2020. This season, she got the amazing opportunity to perform in Courtney Lyon's "Benny's Gig" and as the Cowardly Lion in Emily Kate Long's "Dorothy Goes to Oz". She also revived her featured role as the Red Queen in Lyon’s “Alice in Wonderland.”  She is very excited to start her second season as a professional company dancer and can't wait to see what the year brings!