From Taubaté, SP/Brazil, Leonardo Victorino began his studies in dance at age 16 at Maestro Fego Camargo School of Arts. After a year and a half of studying, Victorino received a full scholarship in 2007 to join to the world-renowned Bolshoi Ballet School in Brazil, from which he graduated in 2009 (Class Dmitry Afanasiev).
In 2010, Victorino joined the Companhia Brasileira de Ballet (a Brazilian Ballet Company located in Rio de Janeiro), under the artistic direction of Jorge Teixeira, and began touring internationally in Miami, FL with the ballet Don Quixote. These tours consisted of Victorino performing full length ballets such as Giselle, The Magic Flute and The Nutcracker. Victorino also performed contemporary and neo-classical works choreographed by Henrique Talmah and Welber Pacheco.
From 2011 to 2013, Victorino joined the Companhia de Ballet do Rio de Janeiro (Ballet of Rio de Janeiro), under the artistic direction of Dalal Achcar. Here, he performed classical, neo-classical and contemporary ballets under choreographers such as Dalal Achcar, Tindaro Silvano, Luiz Arrieta and Janice Botelho and was also a part of the assembly of The Ballet Knights of the Rose by Ãric Fradaric (Belgium). Victorino was promoted as a soloist in 2013, also performing with Theatro Municipal Do Rio de Janeiro (a partnership with Companhia de Ballet do Rio de Janeiro) for the productions of Marguerite and Armand (Frederick Ashton) and Swan Lake (Natalia Makarova), as well as operettas The Merry Widow (Franz Lehar) and Aida (Giuseppe Verdi, Regency Isaac Karabtchevsky).
In September of 2013, Victorino was invited to an exchange through the program 'Partners of America' a partnership between Ballet do Rio de Janeiro, CityDance School and Conservatory (Washington, DC), under the direction of Lorraine Spiegler. During his exchange, he had the opportunity to teach, coach and choreograph, all while continuing his training and performing with the Conservatory. Victorino performed with the Moscow Ballet for their nationwide Nutcracker Tour in 2013 in Washington, D.C., a show that had President Obama and the First Lady in the audience. He was honored to perform again for the couple in a private show in the Conservatory later in his career.
Victorino also competed in the 2014 Youth American Grand Prix with the Pas de Deux and Coda of Third Act of the Ballet Coppalia, winning first place in the semifinals, qualifying him to participate in New York City at the internationally acclaimed Grand Final Round where he received a full scholarship to the summer program and studio company of the acclaimed Joffrey Ballet in Chicago, where he worked for four months.
Also in 2014, he performed as a Principal Guest Artist in the Albany Berkshire Ballet's (New York) production of The Nutcracker touring with the company in many cities throughout New York, Massachusetts and Vermont.
In 2015, Victorino joined the Lake Erie Ballet (Pennsylvania), under the direction of Darren McIntyre, where he performed full length classical and contemporary ballets choreographed by the Director, such as the World Premiere of The Wizard of Oz, in which he held the role of the 'Scarecrow'
In September of 2015, Victorino moved to South Carolina to join Columbia City Ballet, under the direction of William Starrett. His first introduction to the audience was the lead role of 'Dracula' in the classic Halloween production of Dracula: Ballet with a Bite, followed by the role of 'Nutcracker and Nutcracker Prince' in the company's production of The Nutcracker. Since then, Victorino has been performing as a soloist and corps in full length ballets of the company repertoire such as Aladdin, Peter Pan, Swan Lake, Beauty and the Beast, Midsummer Night's Dream, Emanuel 9, Off the Wall and Onto the Stage and Cleopatra. He is currently dancing with Columbia City Ballet in his fourth season.
In 2016, Victorino performed as a guest with The Washington Ballet, under direction of Septime Webre, for the company's world premiere of The Little Mermaid. He is also a resident guest artist with Ann Brodie's Carolina Ballet (South Carolina), performed as guest with Kirkland Arts Center (New York) and University of South Carolina and Litchfield Arts Academy (South Carolina) during the years of 2015 to currently.
