Marissa Smith
Marissa began her Russian Vaganova training in Orlando, Fl, in 2003 at Central Florida Ballet. In 2011 she began studying under Katerina Fedotova at the prestigious Russian Ballet Orlando.
She was quickly promoted to principal dancer and debuted in The Sleeping Beauty, performing Aurora's role at age 16. After that, she began to teach the younger students. She excelled, becoming a leading teacher for all beginner-advanced students and running various programs, including their adult program and administrative tasks. In 2022 she choreographed & directed her first production of The Nutcracker Jr.
She has worked with world-renown choreographers and coaches, including Katerina Fedotova, Vadim Fedotov, Irina Depler, Peter Stark, Olivier Munoz, Heather Fryxell, and Natalia Bashkatova.
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From 2011 - 2022 her repertoire includes principal and soloist roles from Carmen, Sleeping Beauty, La Bayadere, Esmeralda, Swan Lake, Cinderella, Snow Queen, Snow White, The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, Romeo & Juliet, and more. In addition, she has guest performed with Ballet Fedotov in multiple performances & Florida Arts and Dance Theatre for their 2015 - 2019 Nutcracker seasons as Sugar Plum.
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She is happy to be a founding company member of Azara Ballet.