Meet Leigh Ducas | Associate Director of Profectus Dance Company & Director of Dance at The Peach Pit

We had the good fortune of connecting with Leigh Ducas and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Leigh, what is the most important factor behind your success?
Profectus Dance Company was designed with a three part head and I firmly believe this is one of the most important factors behind our success. I am a Founder and Associate Director alongside Olivia May and Melinda Cassiday Jacques. We share the same vision for the Company so the three part director structure allows us to combine our skills, knowledge and background in the most effective and efficient way. Olivia serves as Artistic Director, Melinda as Director of Social Media & Marketing and I am the Director of Communications. This structure has given us the ability to accomplish all necessary administrative work without overloading any individual. This leaves space for each of us to maintain the creative side of running our Company, which includes teaching classes, participating in rehearsals and choreographing new works. The creative aspect is why we set out to start this Company in the first place so having a system that maintains space for us to pursue what we are truly passionate about has meant everything.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have been dancing since I was three years old. I trained with multiple studios in my hometown, Louisville KY, including JoAnn Fryrear School of Dance and the Louisville Ballet. These experiences lead me to attend the Youth Performing Arts School, which is where I solidified my decision to pursue a future in dance. From there, I attended the University of Georgia where I graduated with a BFA in Dance and K-12 Teaching Certification for Dance. Following the completion of my student teaching at Brookwood High School I began teaching with Candler School of Dance. We merged our Program with The Peach Pit and I have had the honor of being the Director of Dance at The Peach Pit since 2020. I had the privilege of training with the Kentucky Governors School for the Arts, Joffrey Ballet, The Radio City Rockettes and the Voronezh Ballet in Russia along the way as well. During the 5 years I’ve been in Atlanta, I have worked with Fly On A Wall and ADMIX Project as well as performed with Aboutface of Decatur City Dance, as a company member of Refuge Dance and currently as a Founder and Associate Director of Profectus Dance Company.

My path in dance has shifted with each change in training location. There was a time when all I wanted was to be a principal in a Ballet Company, and then I was determined to be Radio City Rockette (their summer intensive is still one of my favorite things I’ve ever done), and now I have very happily settled as a modern dancer. One of the biggest lessons I learned from this is that you do not have to stay on one path. I think there is a stigma, in a lot of professions, that you have to decide what you want to do for the rest of your life and stick with it. I simply don’t agree with that. My personal path has remained within the dance realm but I allowed myself to shift my goals as I grew and changed as a dancer, and person, and it has been so rewarding. Allowing my plan to adapt as I did helped me to remain present and fully enjoy what I was doing in each season. It is the culmination of all of these seasons, lessons and experiences that have brought me to my success today as a teacher and professional dancer.

I am extremely proud of Profectus Dance Company. This Company was born directly out of the pandemic and it has been a massive source of joy and accomplishment. The company that my Associate Directors and I previously danced for dissolved during the pandemic but the three of us had no desire or intention to stop dancing. With very limited options providing opportunities for us to dance at that time, we took it upon ourselves to create a new space. My entire life my mom has always said, “It never hurts to ask”, and it has proved to be an extremely fruitful mindset. It never hurts to ask… your friends to create something new with you, or a trusted studio to partner with you, or a local theater to sponsor your company. Whatever it is, just ask. The worst that can happen, in most cases, is that the answer is no. But if my personal track record is of any comfort, you’ll be surprised at how many times you hear ‘yes’ or are presented with another opportunity you didn’t even expect in response to the question. Whatever it is you are interested in or have the desire to pursue, let yourself. Stay curious and do not ever be afraid to give it a shot. That is by far one of the biggest lessons I have learned, and because of it, I am currently living out my dreams I’ve had to be a professional dancer and dance teacher since I was three years old.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m from a big family that revolves around food so you can bet our itinerary is going to be restaurant focused! This is a huge range but any of the following would be on the list: Food Terminal, Grana, Eclipse de Luna, The Optimist, Canoe, St Ceclia. If it’s nice out, anything on the beltline and if we’re looking for a rooftop drink either St. Julep or Hotel Claremont.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’m very fortunate to be able to say that I’ve had incredible amounts of support and love in my life. There has not been one step of my journey that lacked some form of mentorship and encouragement and it is undoubtedly part of why I am where I am today. I owe thanks to every dance teacher I have ever had because they all gave a piece of the dancer, and teacher, I am today and for that I am forever grateful. My family most definitely deserves a shoutout though, they have had an incredible understanding of what dance means to me since my first class at 3 years old and have unfailing supported me every step of the way. My parents carved time out of their lives to help me get to every class, training program and intensive I set my mind on and have always been my first line of hope when I’ve needed some encouragement. Alongside my parents, my sisters have taught me to trust who I am and to never be afraid to challenge myself which have been some of my greatest lessons in my life. It’s an incredible blessing to know I have their constant support.

I also have to thank Martha Cox for taking me under her wing and selflessly sharing all of her wisdom on running a dance studio. I was fresh out of college, just having graduated from The University of Georgia with a BFA in Dance, when she hired me. Martha created an encouraging and safe space for me to begin sharing all of my excitement as a young teacher and set the most wonderful example of how to teach and lead effectively with compassion and kindness. She opened her world to me and let me see and help with the details of running a recreational dance program as well as a competitive dance program. I can say without a doubt that Martha is one of the reasons I am able to run and grow successful recreational and competitive dance programs at The Peach Pit now.

Website: https://profectusdance.org/

Instagram: profectusdance

Other: https://www.peachpitgym.com/

Image Credits
Julian Jacques Photography