Allegheny Ballet Company Teacher Biographies
Jennifer Bryan, Artistic Director – Jennifer Bryan’s early training started with Allegheny Ballet Company and Central 
Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. She was chosen as a guest dancer to participate in The Carlisle Project, a young choreographer’s workshop, directed by Barbara Wiesberger. As a young teenager, through scholarships and stipends, her later training came from the San Francisco Ballet School, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, and The Joffrey Ballet School in NYC. Jennifer has performed professionally with The Joffrey Ballet, NYC, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, New Jersey Ballet Company, and Ballet Met of Columbus, OH. She has enjoyed working with numerous world-renowned teachers and choreographers throughout her training and career, and performed original short pieces in the Northeast Regional Dance Association’s performances annually as soloist and principal roles. Her fondest memories, however, come from performing lead roles in Allegheny Ballet Company’s productions during her junior high and high school years at Altoona’s historic Mishler Theatre.
She resigned from performing professionally to raise her two children. As the Ballet Coordinator for Dublin Dance Center in Columbus, OH, Jennifer taught classes, choreographed, and set classical works on pre-professional ballet students in an intensive program she created over six years. She coached students for the prestigious Youth America Grand Prix competition. Her students have attended summer intensive programs at American Ballet Theatre, Bolshoi Ballet, Boston Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet, Kaatsbaan, Ballet Austin, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Fort Wayne Ballet, North Carolina Dance Theatre, Butler University, Florida State University, and Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet among others. A few students have been asked into trainee programs at the Joffrey Ballet School, NYC, Ballet West, and South Carolina School of the Arts.
Upon returning to her hometown of Altoona, PA, she taught at a local dance school and joined Penn State University’s faculty at the main campus in State College. Jennifer also created, directed, taught for and choreographed for the Ballet Theatre of Penn State last year, and will continue the program in future years as a credit course. She will be teaching the Allegheny Ballet’s summer workshop as well as the PSU Summer Dance Intensive in State College, PA.
She couldn’t be more excited to step into the role as Artistic Director for the Allegheny Ballet Company this season. Jennifer has great expectations for the school’s future, of inspiring young dancers to follow their hearts and dreams and to share her passion of the world of ballet
Cristen Burwell
Kristin Shoaf Roberts – Kristin Shoaf Roberts began her early training with Deborah Anthony at the Allegheny Ballet Academy. As a member of the Allegheny Ballet Company she performed in multiple Regional Dance America – Festivals. In 1991 Kristin was selected by Voilette Verdi to receive a RDA Festival Scholarship Award. Kristin continued her training with the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, the Pacific Northwest Ballet School and on full scholarship with the San Francisco Ballet School.
As a professional dancer, Kristin has performed with Ballet Austin, Chautauqua Dance Company, Kansas City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet and Allegheny Ballet Company as a guest artist. Some of the roles she has performed include: Puss in Boots and the Fairy God Mother in Sleeping Beauty, the Soloist Role in Balanchine’s Rubies, Meander in Alvin Ailey’s The River, Balanchine’s Serenade and Western Symphony, Todd Bolender’s Souvenirs and Voyager, as well as many of the classics including: Swan Lake, Les Sylphides, The Nutcracker, Copellia, Raymonda and Don Quixote.
In 1996 Kristin was a participant in the New York International Ballet Competition where she danced both solos and in pas de deux with her husband. Kristin was selected to perform as a Soloist in the award winners Gala Performance.
Kristin is proud to have had the opportunity to work with influential artists including: Lola De Avila, Todd Bolender, Richard Cook, Eleanor D’Antuano, Jorge Esquivel, Judith Fugate, Cynthia Gregory, Melinda Jones Howe, Irina Jacobson, Sandra Jennings, Chérie Noble, Francia Russell, Lynn Short, Larissa Sklanskaya, Patricia Sorell, Kent Stowell, Jocelyn Vollmar, Jonathan Watts, and Marcia Dale Weary.