Marlena Brinkmann started her training at the age of 2 with Performing Arts of Spring Grove under the direction of Alyce Keaggy Brinkmann. During her training, Marlena participated in numerous international ballet competitions such as Youth American Grand Prix, where she placed 2nd and 3rd in two different cities, World Ballet Competition placing top 10 in the finals, and lastly placing 3rd in the contemporary division at Valentina Kozlova’s International Ballet Competition. These competitions led to great opportunity where Brinkmann received full scholarships to Tulsa Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, and Kansas City Ballet.

Full Ballet Pursuit

In January 2019 Marlena accepted a contract to be part of Milwaukee Ballet's second company where she performed in company productions such as A Midsummer’s Night Dream, Coppelia, and The Nutcracker. In 2021 she accepted a company contract at Columbia Classical Ballet in South Carolina. In October of 2021 Brinkmann was promoted to a Soloist, where she danced the roles of Aurora in Carabosse and the curse of Sleeping Beauty, Maria and the Sugar Plum Fairy in the Nutcracker, and the Second Shade in La Bayadare. Brinkmann is currently teaching in numerous schools across the Midwest and plans on furthering her career in freelance guestings.