Studio Faculty
Kristin Mesa,
Founder & Director
Kristin has been teaching ballet in Howard County for the past 20 years. She holds a B.A. in Dance from the University of Maryland, and received her training through a Ford Foundation Scholarship with the New York City Ballet.
She began her training with Duard Farquhar in Columbus, Ohio and continued with Russel Fratto and Madame Jenette Laurrett (an original member of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo) at Ballet Etudes in Norwalk, Connecticut. While residing in Connecticut, she studied also with Leon Danielian, Director of the American Ballet Theater School, Maestro Vincenzi Celli, Muriel Stuart, and Martha Graham.
Kristin is an ABT® Affiliate Teacher , who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Level 5 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum and has successfully presented students for examinations.
Rebecca Mesa,
Ballet Instructor & Assistant Director
Rebecca Mesa has been teaching ballet, tap and jazz locally and for Patuxent Youth Ballet for the past 9 years.
She was trained by Kristin Mesa early on, and then later continued her training with local studios, including being a member of the Howard County Ballet and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Dance Team.
She continues her training by studying at the Washington Ballet through their Adult Ballet program. She has taken classes with professionals such as Susan Jaffe, Suzanne Farrell and Sascha Radetsky. Rebecca also choreographs for PYB's annual performances and plans on continuing her dance education with American Ballet Theatre.
Rebecca is an ABT® Affiliate Teacher , who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Level 5 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum and has successfully presented students for examinations.
Rebecca is available for private lessons on Sundays.
Alison Pfannenstein,
Ballet Instructor
Alison began discovering her love of dancing at the age of 5, and has experienced the joys of teaching dance since 2007.
She was an active participant in the Wilde Lake High School Dance Company in her 4 years there, and often returns to assist with their annual company trips and performances. She also choreographs for the Wilde Lake Marching Band Drill team which performs at their school's local football games.
Primarily focused on classical ballet, she has studied a variety of dancing styles with dance instructors known locally and nationally. Alison has been trained in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, and modern. Of all the studios she has visited, Alison is proud to name Patuxent Youth Ballet as her home.
Currently, she is a student in Howard Community College's Rouse Scholars Program, studying Computer Science. A major far from dance, she knows she will still always keep dancing alive in her future.
Jennifer Blizzard-Sisk,
Tap/Jazz Instructor
Jennifer Blizzard-Sisk began her training in The Howard County PTA program at the age of 2. She was a member of the Dance Dimension Company and had the privilege to represent the United States in the 3rd Banner of Peace Assembly in Sofia, Bulgaria.
After attending the University of Maryland, College Park on the Maryland Distinguished Scholar Award in the Arts and the Creative And Performing Arts Scholarships, Jennifer danced professionally with the Eva Anderson’s Baltimore Dance Theatre and the Kinetics Dance Theatre where she also taught before beginning her own venue-FootPrints/Blizzard Dance Studio. She created the Ministry In Motion Ensemble (M.I.M.E.), a liturgical-performance outreach company that performed throughout the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan area. Jennifer was the dance specialist for 8 years at Glenelg High School where she choreographed/taught for the drama and dance classes.
She has trained with Mark Ryder and Ethel Butler – members of the original Martha Graham Company, Larry and Anne Warren of the Maryland Dance Theatre, Eva Anderson, Dottie Fried and post-modern originator Bob Dunn.
After 38 years of a wonderful dance career, Jennifer retired to raise her 2 sons Tristan and Dustin. She has now been coaxed out of retirement to begin teaching at the Patuxent Youth Ballet Studio.
Patuxent Youth Ballet is proud to include ABT® Affiliate Teachers Kristin Mesa and Rebecca Mesa who are certified in the AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE® National Training Curriculum.
An ABT® Affiliate Teacher is a level of distinction for ABT® Certified Teachers that successfully present their students for examinations. Primary through Level 5 is taught by ABT® Affiliate Teachers, Kristin Mesa and Rebecca Mesa, who have successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Level 5 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum.