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In Loving Memory of Lisa Gillespie 🤍

Cherished Friend · Ballet Mistress · Board Member

Los Alamitos Ballet Theatre mourns the loss of Lisa Gillespie. She was our cherished friend, devoted Ballet Mistress, and valued member of our Board of Directors.

Lisa gave generously of her time, her artistry, and her heart. She believed deeply in LABT’s artists and its mission, and her presence strengthened our company both onstage and behind the scenes.

A Legacy That Continues

As a member of LABT’s inaugural Dance Across Cultures tour to Trinidad and Tobago, Lisa helped begin an international journey built upon cultural exchange, artistic connection, and the transformative power of dance.

Her legacy will continue through LABT’s upcoming international tour to Thailand and through every artist and community touched by this work.

Group of women practicing ballet or dance in a studio, with a woman in the front leading, all dressed in black, on a wooden floor with white walls and a ceiling with fluorescent lights.

From Our Artistic Directors

It is hard to know where to begin when someone has meant this much to you.

Lisa came into our lives and somehow, almost immediately, became part of the heart of what we were building. She believed in us, believed in LABT, and believed in what this company could become before so much of it had even taken shape.

She gave us her time, her wisdom, her honesty, her generosity, her encouragement, and so much love. She never made us feel like we were asking too much. She showed up. She listened. She guided. She pushed us when we needed it and reminded us to trust the vision when things felt uncertain. Lisa was so much more than our Ballet Mistress and Board Member. She was our mentor. Our confidante. Our champion. Our friend.

In June 2025, she joined us on LABT’s first international tour to Trinidad, and those memories will live in us forever. The rehearsals, the conversations, the laughter, the quiet moments, the way she cared for the dancers, the way she cared for us. Her presence brought a kind of light and calm that could not be taught.

We feel so incredibly lucky that she chose to walk alongside us during such an important chapter of our lives and of LABT’s story.

The truth is, we were not ready to lose her.

There is so much more we wanted to share with her. So many more performances, trips, conversations, ideas, celebrations, and moments we thought were still ahead.

But we also know this: Lisa changed us.

She helped shape this company. She helped shape us as leaders. She reminded us what generosity, grace, artistry, and true mentorship look like. And she will always be a part of everything we continue to build.

Lisa, thank you for believing in us. Thank you for loving our dancers. Thank you for seeing something in LABT and helping us give it wings.

— Renée and David Kim

A woman with dark hair in a bun smiling and pointing to the left, wearing a black jacket with the name "Lisa" on it, in a room with chairs and people in the background.
A woman in black workout clothes doing a stretching pose in a green room, sitting on a green railing with her leg raised and foot resting on the railing, smiling at the camera.
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The Lisa Gillespie Legacy Fund

At the request of Lisa’s family, memorial contributions may be made to Los Alamitos Ballet Theatre in lieu of flowers.

Gifts made in Lisa’s memory will support LABT’s Dance Across Cultures international tour to Thailand, carrying forward the work she helped begin as part of our inaugural tour to Trinidad and Tobago.

Make a Gift in Lisa’s Memory