Nancy Lessler

Last updated

Nancy Wallin Flores Lessler, better known as Nancy Flores, is an American professional dancer, actress, and mural painter. Lessler is a two-time champion of the Fred Astaire national competition in ballroom dancing. She has also appeared in the U.S. Air Force Band's Guest Artist Series when it focused on dancing. [1] Flores and dancing partner Gary Gekhman, who appeared on ABC-TV's "Dancing with the Stars," received an award for their participation from Major General Darren W. McDew. [2]

Contents

Early life, education, and career launch

Lessler graduated from the Beard School in Orange, New Jersey (now Morristown-Beard School) in 1964. [3] After studying painting at the Parsons School of Design, Lesser joined the Shipstads & Johnson Ice Follies, a touring ice show. She trained as an artist under Harriet and David Boyd at the Montclair Art Museum in Montclair, New Jersey. [4] In 1968, Lesser received her bachelor's degree in psychology from Loyola College (now Loyola University Maryland) in Baltimore, Maryland.

Dancing and acting career

Lessler won the 1988 Pro/Am International Competition for Latin American Dancing with her son, Tytus Bergstrom. She was also a national finalist for Latin American ballroom dance event at the U.S. Rising Star Latin American Ballroom Dance competition run by the National Dance Council of America. [5]

Lessler performed in a production of the play Twelfth Night [6] by the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. [7] Since 2005, she has also performed with the Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center. Her performances with the National Opera include: Salome , Don Giovanni , The Flying Dutchman , Madama Butterfly , Aida , Samson and Dalilah, Die Fledermaus , Andrea Chenier , La Traviata , Lucrezia Borgia , Luisa Fernanda , Hamlet , and Macbeth . [8]

Painting achievements

Lessler painted 24 panels for the hallways of the St. George's Hotel in Volcano, California between 1968 and 2004. She designed the backdrop used by R&B singer Alicia Keys' performance at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. Lessler also painted five covers of Dancing USA Magazine and created 35 paintings used to illustrate dance movements by Dancebook 2001, a reference guide for dance professionals and dance instructors. [4]

Family

Lessler married Mark Lessler, who worked as a special agent with the Criminal Investigative Division at the Internal Revenue Service. Nancy has a son, Tytus Bergstrom.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morristown, New Jersey</span> Town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States

Morristown is a town and the county seat of Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Morristown has been called "the military capital of the American Revolution" because of its strategic role in the war for independence from Great Britain. Morristown's history is visible in a variety of locations that collectively make up Morristown National Historical Park, the country's first National Historical Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twelfth Air Force</span> Numbered air force of the United States Air Force

The Twelfth Air Force (12 AF; Air Forces Southern, (AFSOUTH)) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenneth Minihan</span> United States Air Force general

Kenneth A. Minihan is a former United States Air Force lieutenant general who served as the director of the National Security Agency and the Defense Intelligence Agency, retiring on May 1, 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morristown–Beard School</span> Private school in Morris County, New Jersey, United States

Morristown Beard School is a coeducational, independent, college-preparatory day school located in Morristown, in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Serving students in sixth through twelfth grades, the school has two academic units: an Upper School (9-12) and a Middle School (6-8).

Ad astra is a Latin phrase meaning "to the stars". The phrase has origins with Virgil, who wrote in his Aeneid: "sic itur ad astra" and "opta ardua pennis astra sequi". Another origin is Seneca the Younger, who wrote in Hercules: "non est ad astra mollis e terris via".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anton Du Beke</span> English dancer and TV presenter (born 1966)

Anthony Paul Beke, known professionally as Anton Du Beke, is a British ballroom and Latin dancer, and television presenter, best known for being a professional dancer and, from 2021 onwards, a judge on the BBC One celebrity dancing show Strictly Come Dancing. His professional dance partner since 1997 has been Erin Boag.

Louis van Amstel is a Dutch-American ballroom dance champion, professional dancer, and choreographer who appears on the U.S. reality television series Dancing with the Stars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Trebunskaya</span> Russian American professional dancer

Anna Trebunskaya is a Russian born American professional ballroom and Latin dancer, known for her appearances on Dancing with the Stars. She now lives in Los Angeles and dances in the International Latin style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">7th Airlift Squadron</span> Military unit

The 7th Airlift Squadron is part of the 62d Airlift Wing at McChord Air Force Base, Washington. It operates Boeing C-17 Globemaster III aircraft supporting the United States Air Force global reach mission worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Murphy (choreographer)</span>

Mary Ann Murphy is an American ballroom dance champion, accredited dance judge, and a judge and choreographer on the Fox dance competition-reality show So You Think You Can Dance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">25th Operational Weather Squadron</span> Military unit

The 25th Operational Weather Squadron, based out of Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ, is the Squadron responsible for the Western United States; the current states in the Area of Responsibility (AoR) are Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BYU Ballroom Dance Company</span> Dance Company at Brigham Young University

The BYU Ballroom Dance Company originates in the Department of Dance of the College of Fine Arts and Communications at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. It has been a part of BYU for nearly 50 years and competes and performs throughout the world.

Anthony Michael Ray Bower is an American actor best known for his role as Eddie "Donkeylips" Gelfen on the television program Salute Your Shorts, which aired from 1991 to 1992 on Nickelodeon and for which he won a Young Artist Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorcas Hardy</span> American government official (1946–2019)

Dorcas Ruth Hardy Spagnolo was an American healthcare specialist. She served as the 10th Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA) from 1986 to 1989. She was the first woman to serve as SSA Commissioner. Hardy held conservative views and remained active in politics after her tenure.

Elizabeth (Schultz) Rigg (1921–2001) was a singer and pianist who was a direct descent of Francis Lightfoot Lee, a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence. Rigg worked as a Cabaret actress. Adopting the stage name of Suzanne Gilbert, she performed at the American Theatre Wing, the Biltmore Hotel, and the Stage Door Canteen in New York City. Performing in the Fred Astaire ballroom dance competitions, Rigg won multiple first place awards. She also starred in the play Toys in the Attic, performed at the Hudson Guild in Manhattan in 1972.

Eleanor Ingersoll Maurice (1901–1995) was an abstract and realist painter. Her media included oil, watercolor, pencil drawings, and collages.

Isabel Althea Hussa Pearse (1912–1999) was an American actress who starred in theatre. She performed with the Montgomery Players at the Montgomery Playhouse in Montgomery County, Maryland. Pearse also performed at the Players Playhouse in Detroit, Michigan. She was a descendant of reformer Jan Hus.

Mary Wilson Travis Arny (1909–1997) was a writer, naturalist, historian, and educator. Arny served as a professor of biology at Montclair State College in Montclair, New Jersey. She also authored several books on history, nature, and ecology, and she wrote articles for newspapers in New Jersey.

John Churchill Newcomb (1899-1962) was a journalist, an equestrian, and a farmer. Newcomb served as an editor and writer of feature articles for magazines. He also raced horses in Kentucky and Virginia, and he owned farmland in Loudoun County, Virginia.

Elizabeth Aldrich is an American dance historian, choreographer, writer, lecturer, consultant, administrator, curator, and archivist. She is internationally known for her research, performance, choreography, teaching, and lectures on Renaissance and Baroque court dance, nineteenth-century social dance, and twentieth-century ragtime dance.

References

  1. ↑ Brian McCurdy (31 January 2011). "Let's Dance! Guest Artist Series to begin Feb. 20". Air Force Print News Today.
  2. ↑ "The U.S. Air Force Band". "Maj. Gen. Darren W. McDew, commander of the Air Force District of Washington, presents an award to television’s “Dancing With The Stars” Garry Gekhman and his dancing partner, Nancy Flores, at The U.S. Air Force Band’s 2011 Guest Artist Series Feb. 20 at the DAR Constitution Hall, Washington, D.C. Each of the dancers was presented with the award in appreciation of their participation in the concert. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Christopher Ruano)"
  3. ↑ "Class Notes". Crimson Magazine. Morristown-Beard School. Summer 2012: 32.
  4. 1 2 Artist Biography
  5. ↑ "Nancy Wallin Flores Lessler '64: Adventures In & Out of the Artist/Dancer's Studio". Crimson Magazine. Morristown-Beard School. Fall 2013.
  6. ↑ Kenneth Jones (July 22, 2010). "Chuck Cooper, Randy Harrison Among Twelfth Night Revelers in Free DC Run Aug. 19-Sept. 5". Playbill.com. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014.
  7. ↑ Julie LaPorte (August 25, 2010). "Performing Arts: Twelfth Night at Shakespeare Theatre". Washingtonlife.com.
  8. ↑ Nancy Flores
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.