Kristin Lindsay Orza received her early training from Virginia Stapleton before joining Marin Dance Theatre. She was accepted into the career program at MDT under the direction of Margaret Swarthout, former soloist with The Royal Ballet, whose mentorship helped shape the careers of many young dancers. Kristin enjoyed an eight-year professional career performing and touring with Ballet Florida and Company C Contemporary Ballet.

Transitioning into teaching, Kristin joined the faculty at The Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia, where she worked closely with advanced students who achieved remarkable success at YAGP and other international competitions. She taught, coached, and prepared dancers for elite-level performances, and took great pride in helping them secure acceptances into prestigious programs such as English National Ballet and the Paris Opera Ballet School. Kristin also assisted in staging a Swan Lake suite for the school’s end-of-year spring performance, bringing the classic to life with technical precision and artistic depth.

After relocating to Tennessee, Kristin and her husband Aaron founded Nashville Classical Ballet Academy (NCBA), a refined training program for students pursuing a pre-professional track. Under their leadership, NCBA students have been accepted into elite summer intensives including the Royal Ballet School, Boston Ballet School, Houston Ballet, Ellison Ballet, English National Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and San Francisco Ballet, among others. At the professional level, students have gone on to receive traineeships, apprenticeships, and corps de ballet contracts with respected companies across the country. NCBA is the most awarded ballet program in Tennessee, with students earning top placements at both YAGP and UBC—including multiple 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishes alongside Outstanding Teacher accolades. Kristin teaches a classical curriculum rooted in her training with Shannon Bresnahan, Margaret Swarthout, and Jorge Esquivel.

As she and Aaron step into their roles with Vitacca School for Dance they look forward to upholding and furthering the standard of excellence they’ve established throughout their careers.