Simone Messmer

Born in Minneapolis, Simone Messmer began studying dance at the age of 9 at Ballet Arts Minnesota. At 14, she continued her training at The HARID Conservatory in Boca Raton, and was awarded the Jeannot B. Cerrone Award for Excellence in Dance. At 16, she resumed her training at Ballet Arts Minnesota under the direction of Bonnie Mathis. Simone then joined American Ballet Theatre in 2001 and danced with them for over a decade, rising to the rank of soloist in 2010. While in the company, Simone originated major roles in new works by Alexei Ratmansky such as Firebird, Symphony #9, On the Dnieper, as well as works by Christopher Wheeldon and Benjamin Millepied.

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Simone joined San Francisco Ballet in 2013 performing principal roles in Balanchine’s Agon and Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet, and Ratmansky’s From Foreign Lands and Chamber Symphony.

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She joined Miami City Ballet as a principal in 2015 and commands an extensive repertoire, including her debut as the Swan Queen in Mr. Balanchine’s Swan Lake.

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Simone’s partnership with Ballet Chicago spans the past 7 years. Her appearance as Swan Queen in Mr. Balanchine’s Swan Lake with Ballet Chicago in 2018 at the Harris Theater marked her second guesting engagement with Ballet Chicago, her first being Sugar Plum Fairy in the 2012 Nutcracker.