Ava Bernardo is originally from Hamilton, New Jersey. She began her dance training at The School of American Ballet where she performed in many productions as a child with New York City Ballet including, The Nutcracker, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Swan Lake, Scene De Ballet, and The Most Incredible Thing.

In 2022 and 2023, Ava danced in the New York Choreographic Institute along with New York City Ballet in Balanchine’s Scherzo a la Russe. Before graduating from School of American Ballet she performed in two SAB workshops in the roles of Third Movement principal in George Balanchine’s Symphony in C, August Bournonville’s Napoli, and Third Movement principal in George Balanchine’s Brahms Schoenberg.

In 2023, she joined Kansas City Ballet’s Second Company where she danced several roles with the main company including Jekyll and Hyde by Val Caniparoli, Devon Carney’s Nutcracker and Peter Pan, Balanchine’s Jewels, Septime Webre’s Alice in Wonderland and Anna-Marie Holmes' Don Quixote. In the summer of 2025, she participated in the Nantucket Dance Festival. Ava will be joining Indianapolis Ballet for the 2025/26 season as a Company Artist.

Photos by: Rosalie O’Connor Photography