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 Apollo (Calliope), Allegro Brillante, Chaconne, Coppélia, Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2, and Stravinsky Violin Concerto, August Bournonville’s La Sylphide, John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet, William Forsythe’s Artifact 2017, Approximate Sonata, Blake Works I, Blake Works III (The Barre Project), Playlist (EP), In the Middle Somewhat Elevated, and Pas/Parts 2018, Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker (Chinese, Doll, Lead Flowers, Snow) and Swan Lake, Justin Peck’s Everywhere We Go, Marius Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty (Songbird Fairy, Puss in Boots), Jerome Robbins’ The Concert (Or, The Perils of Everybody), and Leonid Yakobson’s Rodin (Eternal Springtime). In 2019, Merlis choreographed In Every Step for BB@home: ChoreograpHER. 

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

Position funded by anonymous donors