Alisa Nipp

Education

BFA, Dance, Belhaven University

Originally from Southern California, Alisa Nipp began dancing at the age of 4. At age 8, she began training at Pacific Ballet Conservatory until she went on to earn her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from Belhaven University. With Belhaven, Alisa performed at The Kennedy Center through the American College Dance Association and graduated with honors from National Honor Society for Dance Arts. Alisa then danced in Chicago with Ballet 5:8 for two seasons before joining Ballet Hartford where she currently dances as a Principal.

At Ballet Hartford, Alisa has performed as a soloist in Gilbert Bolden III’s Scherzo in D and has premiered in notable or leading roles in Caleb Mitchell’s Heaven Full of Stars, Leyna Doran’s Holiday Happenings, and Claire Kretzschmar’s A Ceremony of Carols and Weihnachtsbaum. Alisa’s classical repertoire includes featured roles in the classical ballets Swan Lake, Coppélia, The Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Raymonda, Auguste Bournonville's Paul et Virginie Quintet, and The Nutcracker. Alisa loves to travel and has had the honor and joy of performing original choreography by Juliano Nuñes and Flock at Orsolina 28’s Open Air Stage in Italy, dancing at Project Dance Paris, and joining Odyssey Dance Lab on tour in Greece.

Alisa first began teaching in 2020, working with dancers of all ages and levels from Toddler & Me classes to pre-professional dance classes to adult ballet classes. Drawing from her Pedagogy and Vaganova-based Ballet Teaching Methods classes at Belhaven University, she has found a love for teaching ballet and conditioning classes that support ballet training. Ever since then, Alisa has been invited to teach ballet, pointe, variations, and contemporary at local summer intensives throughout Connecticut and has a certification in Progressing Ballet Technique. As a choreographer, Alisa is inspired by movement as expression and beauty, the way movement partners with music, and exploring abstract concepts.