Dr. Leonard Cruz was born in Pampanga, the Philippines and grew up in San Antonio, Texas. He started dancing at the age of four learning Filipino and Hawaiian Folk Dances. In 1983 he was a Finalist for Young Arts sponsored by the NFAA in Miami, Florida where he was later named Presidential Scholar in the Arts. He received his Bachelor of Arts and Master's of Arts Degree in Dance from U.C.L.A. He has obtained his Master of Fine Arts in Performance/Choreography, as well as his PhD in Urban Education with a focus the creative and performing arts from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

He has performed with Robert Wilson, Kei Takei's Moving Earth, Shapiro and Smith Dance, Sally Silvers, and for five years with Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane and Co. In 1993 he moved to Germany and was a guest with Pina Bausch in Wuppertal and a member of the Folkwang Tanz Studio in Essen-Werden. From 1994-2001 he danced at the Bremer Stadttheater under the Directorship of Susanne Linke and Urs Dietrich. 

Dr. Cruz is the Health Promotional Expert at the Folkwang University of the Arts. He has been a Bessie Schoenberg Choreographer at The Yard in Martha’s Vineyard and was nominated for the Kurt Jooss Prize in Choreography. Leonard specializes in South Pacific Dance Forms, Improvisation in performance as well as sight-specific work. His homepage list his accomplishments as well as his choreographic work that can be viewed on-line at: www.leonard-cruz.com 

Yoga teachers he has and continues to study with: Biff Mithoefer, Leslie Kaminoff, Anastasia Stoyannadis, Janet Lilly,  and Ann Hunt.