McKnight Fellow
Dance
Saint Paul, MN
February 2027, one week
Andrew Lester is an award-winning professional dancer, actor, and educator with nearly 25 years of experience teaching and performing. A recipient of a 2025 McKnight Artist Fellowship for Dancers, Andrew was a company member with James Sewell Ballet and has been a company member with Shapiro & Smith Dance since 2009. He has also performed as a guest artist with numerous other acclaimed Minnesota companies. Together with his wife and artistic partner, Nichole Carey, he co-founded Alchemy Arts in 2023, whose inaugural production, “When You Hear the Chime,” premiered at the Minnesota Fringe Festival that same year.