Jacob Ray is a professional ballet dancer and actor born in Irvine, California. He began his ballet training at the age of 11 at the Grand Rapids Ballet with artistic director, Patricia Barker. While there, Jacob joined the junior company under the mentorship of Attila Mosolygo. A favorite memory of his is dancing the role of Fritz in The Nutcracker at DeVos Performance Hall. Jacob continued his training with Dmitri Kulev at the Dmitri Kulev Classical Ballet Academy in Laguna Hills, California. In addition to this Jacob trained in New York at the Bolshoi Ballet Summer Intensive in 2017 and 2018 on full scholarship, where he was invited to train year-round at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow, Russia. Jacob also competed at Youth American Grand Prix in Los Angeles winning 1st place in the Men’s Classical Division (2017) and 2nd place for his contemporary piece, “The Highest Flood” in Denver, Colorado (2018).

His Professional Ballet career began with the Colorado Ballet Studio Company in 2019. Jacob was promoted to Apprentice in the same year and was then promoted to Corps de Ballet. Jacob joined the Los Angeles Ballet in 2022. During his first year with the company, he performed various roles including, Arabian and Dr. Stahlbaum in The Nutcracker, Main Pas in Christopher Wheeldon’s, A Fool’s Paradise, and the Dream Pas in Val Caniparoli’s Lady of the Camellia’s.

Beyond Ballet, Jacob is an actor. He’s currently studying at the Baron Brown Studio, training in the Meisner technique, with acting teacher Anne Dremann. With his love of dance, film, and writing, Jacob is embarking on a career that will combine his many passions for the arts. He’s excited to be with the Los Angeles Ballet under the Artistic Direction of Melissa Barak and the new vision she has for the company.