Carissa Puppo
A native of Greensboro, North Carolina, Carissa began her dance training at age six at the Greensboro Ballet School where she remained for five years. She was then invited to further her dance education at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts’ preparatory dance program in 8th grade under the direction of Dayna Fox. By age 12 she had been accepted into UNCSAs high school program making her the youngest student to ever enroll there.
Carissa has spent numerous summers training at Charlotte Ballet on full scholarship, where she has been able to study under figures such as Valentina Kozlova and Dwight Rhoden. She has also attended various summer programs including Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet several times and Atlanta Ballet. She has received scholarships for summer programs at Alonzo King LINES, and most recently the Royal Danish Ballet Summer School in Copenhagen, Denmark. Carissa graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in May 2020 with a BFA in ballet.
While there, she trained under the direction of Susan Jaffe, Misha Tchoupakov, Jared Redick, Laura Martin, and Dayna Fox. She has had the privilege of performing in a wide variety of pieces including Giselle, Paquita, A Midsummer’s Night Dream, The Groove, Coppélia, Les Sylphides, and the premier of Carmen Terra by Susan Jaffe.
During times when Carissa isn’t dancing, she especially loves skateboarding, writing letters to friends, and going to watch live performances of any kind. This will be her first year with NWA Ballet Theatre, as a 2nd company member.
get to know the dancer
Where are you from?
Greensboro, North Carolina
In one sentence, describe your "discovery" of ballet. Or, what was your pathway to ballet?
From a young age I knew I wanted to attend the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and I think the faculty there and their dancers are what initially drew me to ballet. Also Gillian Murphy is an alum, and she's always been one of my idols.
Do you remember the first ballet you ever saw? What was it and how did it affect you?
The first one I remember seeing was Giselle, and it has remained one of my favorites to this day. The atmosphere Giselle creates is so ethereal and melancholy, and as a child I was just amazed by it.
What do you like to do outside of dance (hobbies, interests, etc.)?
I love going to concerts, hiking, painting, and skateboarding/rollerskating with friends.
What are some of your other talents?
I like to make visual art in a few mediums, but one I've been doing the most recently is linoleum block printmaking. It's pretty much carving into a piece of linoleum, and you're left with something kind of like a big stamp that you can put on anything. I also used to fly planes sometimes, but haven't been able to in a few years.
What are some of your indulgences?
I don't know if this counts, but I really really love olives. They're my favorite food by far. I also like driving around listening to music but that's not great for the environment so I'm trying to bike more.
What is your favorite role that you have performed? Have not performed?
Probably the waltz of the flowers in Nutcracker. I love the music so much and I think I've had the most fun on stage while dancing this role.
Do you have any pre-performance rituals?
Just vigorously shaking my head to see if my headpiece falls off.
If you weren’t a dancer, what would you be?
Probably a psychologist or a pilot.
How do you spend your summer breaks?
Seeing old friends and spending time outside.
If I could visit any country in the world it would be….
This is technically a continent, but I think it'd be really cool to go to Antarctica. I realize there's not much to do there and it's wicked cold, but for some reason I still want to go. Plus who can say they've been to Antarctica? Not most. (If that can't happen though I'd love to go back to Denmark because it's perfect there.)
What does Northwest Arkansas mean to you? Why is it special or different from other places you've danced/trained?
I've never been to Northwest Arkansas or any part of Arkansas, so I can't say quite yet. From what I've seen though, it looks like a growing community that's invested in the arts and that means a lot to me.
What are three things people might not know about you?
The lamp section of IKEA is my favorite place in the world.
I know how to make the fancy kind of ratatouille that you see in the movie.
I once wore a 5 ft. tall, blue, heart shaped wig for a photo shoot. It was so heavy.