Marissa started her dancing journey with Bartlesville Civic Ballet in 2006 where she danced in The Nutcracker under Soili Arvola and the late Charlotte Lyke. Upon returning to the Houston area Marissa danced again at a local studio for 3 years until she took a break from dancing to pursue gymnastics. After graduation she returned to dance and joined the Houston Repertoire Ballet where she danced under the direction of Victoria Vittum and Barbara La Gault.
Marissa started her career with Milwaukee Ballet’s Rolando Yanes Pre-Professional Training Division. During her time there she danced roles in La Vivandiere, Don Quixote, Nutcracker, Paquita, Coppelia, and Swan Lake. After two years with Milwaukee Ballet, she joined Texas Ballet Theater’s Studio Company and was dancing under the direction of Kathy Warkomsky-Li, Leticia Oliveira, and Rhodes Elliott. Her roles at TBT included Four Women, Tides, Sleeping Beauty, Benediction, La Esmerelda, The Nutty Nutcracker and Ben Stevenson’s The Nutcracker.
After Marissa left Texas Ballet Theater she joined Springfield Ballet as a company artist and performed roles in The Little Mermaid, The Nutcracker, and choreographic works created by Adam Sage and Caitlin Helton-Scherer. After Springfield Ballet Company she pursued a more contemporary based company in Washington D.C. where she performed original works choreographed by Shawn Short. She’s excited to be joining Ballet Pensacola for the 24/25 season and can’t wait to expand her artistry.
In addition to dancing, Marissa has completed her Associate’s degree in animal science and in the future she’s planning to pursue veterinary medicine.
