Liza Balough began her training at the age of 13 at the Arizona Ballet School. She completed her studies at the North Carolina School of the Arts, taught by a diverse faculty including Kee Juan Han, Melissa Hayden, and Brenda Daniels. There she performed such roles as the Sugarplum Fairy in The Nutcracker, the Violin in Balanchine’s Symphony Concertante, and Kitri in Don Quixote. Upon graduation, Miss Balough joined the corps of the Vienna State Opera Ballet. She has also appeared as a guest with Dances Patrelle in New York and with the Summer Illuminations Festival of the North Carolina School of the Arts, where she performed leading roles in Balanchine’s Who Cares? and MacMillan’s Concerto. This is her first season with the Washington Ballet. In her time off she occupies herself as a continuing student at Columbia University in the City of New York.