Kirsten began her ballet training in Holland, Michigan, studying under Rick and Lara Faucher, and James and Lucia Martin at Turning Pointe School of Dance. She advanced her summer training at Ballet Magnificat, Ballet Austin and Joffrey Midwest; additionally, Milwaukee Ballet and Gelsey Kirkland Ballet , both on Merit Scholarship. In 2009, Kirsten joined Milwaukee Ballet II where she performedSpring Fairy in Michael Pink’s world premiere of “Cinderella”,’ in addition to dancing in Pink’s “The Nutcracker”, and Trey McIntyre’s “Wild, Sweet Love.” She also understudied “Lost Boy” for Pink’s “Peter Pan”. Kirsten then relocated to New York City, honored to be classically coached by Gelsey Kirkland and to perform in her studio company from 2010-2012. Her repertoire included soloist roles in Swan Lake, La Sylphide, La Bayadere, Paquita, Napoli Pas de Six and The Nutcracker,among others. Kirsten’s tenure at The Sarasota Ballet from 2012-2014 afforded her the privilege of performing ballets in neoclassical and contemporary styles, including George Balanchine’s Serenade, Who Cares, and Four Temperaments. She also danced in Sir Frederic Ashton’s La Fille Mal Garde, Les Rendezvous, Façade, Illuminations and Sarasota’s Sir Frederic Ashton Festival, Antony Tudor’s Gala Performance, Agnes De MillesRodeo and Matthew Hart’s world premiere of John Ringling’s Circus Nutcracker. She had the opportunity to dance featured roles in recent works by Kelly Yankle, “Ne Me Quitte Pas’, a contemporary Pas de Deux, and Ricki Bertoni’s “RagTop”, a stylized 1920’s ballet. Kirsten was recognized as an “Ascending Artist” in 2012 by Gaynor Minden, and also photographed for their promotional materials. In July 2011, she was highlight in Pointe Magazine’s fashion spread. She also modeled for noted NYC photographer Tatiana Shoan, for 4 window photo installations, commissioned by DUGGAL, 23rd st, NYC, 2012. Kirsten currently is a company member of Avant Chamber Ballet in Dallas, Texas. She also dances part time with Paul Mejia’s company, Mejia Ballet International, in Arlington. One of her favorite things is being able to pour into the next generation of dancers: helping them fine-tune their talent, and giving them the confidence they need to succeed. She is beyond thrilled to be teaching ballet at Artistry in Motion this season!
We are dedicated to providing a superior learning environment for all our students, therefore, we keep our class sizes small so that each student receives more attention and instruction.