Elisa Alexander was born in West Virginia and started dancing at the age of three. She trained at Inwood Performing Arts and the Frederick School of Classical Ballet before leaving home to attend high school at the prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy on scholarship. She spent two summers at North Carolina Dance Theatre and one at Boston Ballet’s summer program. Elisa recently earned her BFA in ballet at the College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati. While there, she enjoyed dancing roles in Paquita, La Bayadere, Swan Lake, and Balanchine’s Walpurgisnacht and Pas de Dix, as well as original works created by CCM faculty. She also choreographed two pieces that were chosen to be performed in the Choreographer’s Showcase at CCM. Additionally, Elisa performed as a guest artist in Dayton Ballet’s performance of The Nutcracker. Elisa danced for the Charlottesville Ballet for two seasons. While there, Elisa choreographed and set her original piece En Masse on the company. Elisa is both a dancer and a choreographer for concorDance contemporary.
Kirsten Glaser was born and raised in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. She began dancing at the age of 3 with Cape Cod School of Ballet. Since she was so passionate about ballet she decided at the age of 14 to pursue it at a professional level. She joined the Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts and stayed there for four years. After graduation in 2009 she was one of 48 dancers who were chosen to participate in the New York International Ballet Competition. Following the completion of the competition she spent a year with Colorado Ballet’s Studio Company. There she performed in major productions of Don Quixote, the Nutcracker and Beauty and the Beast. She then ventured to Charlottesville where she spent two years dancing for the Charlottesville Ballet. In addition to concorDance contemporary, Kirsten also dances for Keith Lee Dancers based in Lynchburg, VA.
Alexandra Keen, originally from Fairfax Station, VA, received her classical training from The Washington School of Ballet in Washington, D.C. under the direction of Mary Day. She went on to receive her Bachelor of Arts degree in dance with a minor in history from Point Park University, graduating magna cum laude. While at Point Park, she performed in George Balanchine’s Serenade, Lauri Stalling’s je t’aime and original works by Jay Kirk and Peter Merz. She has danced professionally with the Kirov Ballet, Baltimore Ballet and for the past three seasons with the Ballet Theatre of Maryland, where some of her favorite roles were Tweedle Dum in Alice in Wonderland, the gypsy doll in The Nutcracker and a soloist in Primal Dreams. She also enjoys teaching and choreographing.
Alanna Mahon, a Crozet native, is an aspiring young dancer and artist. She has been dancing for thirteen years, and received training in jazz and ballet at Albemarle Ballet Theatre. Prior to graduating from Western Albemarle High School in 2012, she was a choreographer for the school dance team. Alanna was accepted to the Alvin Ailey Summer Intensive at the age of fifteen, and most recently had a lead role in Live Art’s A Chorus Line. Also interested in design, Alanna has had a graphic design internship with Ash Lawn Opera, and currently has an interior design internship with 3North design firm in Richmond, Virginia.