Simone Messmer

Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Simone Messmer began her ballet training at Ballet Arts Minnesota before studying at The HARID Conservatory in Boca Raton, Florida, where she 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, and in 2001 she was invited to join American Ballet Theatre after attending their summer intensive. Messmer was promoted to the rank of soloist in 2010 and awarded the Leonore Annenberg Arts Fellowship that same year. During her career with ABT, she originated major roles under renowned choreographers including Alexei Ratmansky, Christopher Wheeldon and Benjamin Millepied, and her repertoire included ‘The Bright Stream", "Le Corsaire", ‘Raymonda", "Ballo della Regina", "Birthday Offering", "Company B", "Drink to Me Only With Thine Eye", "In The Upper Room", "Petite Mort’" and "Sinfonietta". In 2013, she joined San Francisco Ballet, where she also performed various principal roles. Then, after five years with Miami City Ballet, Simone Messmer became a member of the Ballett am Rhein company at the beginning of the 2020/2021 season. She has since danced in Twyla Tharp’s "Commentaries on the Floating World", the role of Sophie in Aszure Barton’s "Baal", the Snow Queen in Demis Volpi’s "The Nutcracker" and the American Tourist in "Geschlossene Spiele" as well as in John Neumeier's "From time to time".