Dancers

Claire Wessells

CLAIRE WESSELLS was born in Tucson, Arizona, and has lived in Columbus, Ohio since the age of five. At seven years old, she began training as a student with the BalletMet Academy. In 2023, she joined the trainee program under the direction of Maria Torija, performing roles including Kitri in Don Quixote and First Violin Principal in George Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco. Claire also performed alongside the professional company in Gerard Charles’ The Nutcracker and Edwaard Liang’s ALICE and Romeo and Juliet. In 2023, she was awarded first place at the YAGP Pittsburgh Semi-Finals and was selected as one of only 12 female junior semi-finalists at USABIC in Jackson, Mississippi.

At age sixteen, Claire accepted a contract with BalletMet 2 for the 2024/25 season. Since then, she has had the opportunity to work with various choreographers and perform works by David Nixon, Remi Wörtmeyer, George Balanchine, Leiland Charles, and Juanjo Arqués, among others.

Claire is excited for her next season as a company dancer!