Leslie Merced is a native of Plainfield, NJ, where she studied at the Union County Academy for Performing Arts in Scotch Plains. She graduated magna cum laude in 2020 with her BFA from the Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College, SUNY where she was also a nominee for the Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence. She has performed works by Shannon Gillen, Joseph Hernandez, Sidra Bell with Roderick George, and Andrea Kramer and performed masterwork Psalm by Jose Limón. Leslie is currently a freelance dance artist in the NJ/NYC area in her first appearance with ZviDance.