Biography

Abigail Merlis began her dance training at age 3 at Westport’s Academy of Dance. She then went on to train with François Perron and Nadege Hottier at French Académie of Ballet. In 2010, she began training privately with Christina Fagundes in New Canaan, Connecticut. Merlis attended summer programs at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Danish Dance Masters, and Boston Ballet School. After attending Boston Ballet School’s Summer Dance Program in 2014, she was invited by Margaret Tracey to join the School’s Trainee Program on scholarship.

As a Boston Ballet Trainee, Merlis performed in Mikko Nissinen’s Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, and in Boston Ballet School’s Next Generation performance, she performed in Balanchine’s Divertimento No.15 and as Princess Florine in Marius Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty.

Merlis has performed in Boston Ballet productions of George Balanchine’s Chaconne, Coppélia, Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.2, and Stravinsky Violin Concerto, August Bournonville’s La Sylphide, John Cranko’s Romeo & Juliet, Jorma Elo’s Fifth Symphony of Jean Sibelius, William Forsythe’s Artifact 2017, Blake Works I, Playlist (EP), In the Middle Somewhat Elevated, and Pas/Parts 2018, Ivan Liška’s Le Corsaire, Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker (Chinese, Doll, Lead Flowers, Snow) and Swan Lake, Marius Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty, Jerome Robbins’ The Concert (Or, The Perils of Everybody), and Leonid Yakobson’s Rodin (Eternal Springtime and Minotaur and Nymph). She also performed the principal role in Balanchine’s Haieff Divertimento with Boston Ballet II. In 2019, Merlis choreographed In Every Step for BB@home: ChoreograpHER in 2019.

Merlis joined Boston Ballet II in 2016 and was promoted to artist of the Company in 2017.

Position funded by anonymous donors