Leonides D. Arpon (Filipino-American born in Israel) started dancing in 1987 under the direction of Rose Kassel at the Bat-Dor Dance School in Israel. He later joined their company 1998 under the direction of Jeannette Ordman and worked with choreographers such as Luciano Cannitto, Igal Perry and Randy Duncan.

He holds a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Dance from Hollins University in partnership with the former Forsythe Company in Frankfurt, Germany, is a recipient of the Princess Grace Award for Modern Dance and the America-Israel Cultural Foundation Scholarships.

Upon moving to NYC in 1999 Mr. Arpon was a principal dancer with Armitage Gone! Dance, Earl Mosley’s Diversity of Dance, Kevin Wynn, Johannes Wieland, Sean Curran, Avila-Weeks and the New Generation Dance Company where he also trained in Argentine Tango.

In 2016 he continued to work in Japan for dance productions, performing art schools, coached celebrities as well as choreograph and perform in TV commercials for Panasonic, Toshiba, Mitsubishi, Gucci, Softbank, Nissin and DMM. He also studied acting at the English Language Film School Japan and Chubbuck Japan and appeared on Amazon Prime Video and NHK channels in drama series’, talk shows and English instructional DVD’s.

He also studies the art of creating dance for camera and shares his artistic experiences through community outreach with people of all ages and backgrounds. 

Mr. Arpon has completed the Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum and the Beginner Horton Teacher Workshop with Ana Marie Forsythe.

He assistant director for Earl Mosley’s Institute of the Arts’ “Hearts of Men” workshops in NYC and has taught around the world schools such as the Ailey School, Princeton University, and the Peridance Capezio Dance Center in the U.S. In Israel at the Bat-Dor Dance School, Thelma Yellin School of the Arts and Bikurey Ha’Itim. In Japan at the Tokyo and Osaka Schools of Music, Broadway Dance Center Tokyo, Yoshimoto Kogyo’s Hinton Battle Dance Academy, Avec Grace Ballet and in the Philippines at Ballet Philippines, Philippine High School for the Arts and the University of the Philippines.

Mr. Arpon is thrilled to serve as Rehearsal Director and work alongside Kirven Douthit-Boyd, Erin Prange and the dancers of The Big Muddy Dance Company.