Karissa Travis was born in Minnesota in 1987. She began classical ballet training in New York at the age of 7 under the direction of Elizabeth Fernandez and the Carousel Cities Youth Ballet (CCYB).
Karissa advanced quickly and performed with the company in five productions of the Nutcracker, and seven other productions including Coppelia, Don Quixote, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, and Celebration of Miracles. In 1999 she appeared as Clara from the Nutcracker for CCYB’s Millennium Holiday Show. Before returning to Minnesota that same year, Karissa co-produced and choreographed her first show, Vaudeville Ballet, and was encouraged by Elizabeth Fernandez to begin teaching.
Since returning to Minnesota in
2000, Karissa has directed over 12
productions, including the premier of
Esther: Star of Hope,
in 2005. She
established Reign Dance Theater, a non-profit youth ballet in
2008, and is currently serving as artistic director.
The purpose of Reign Dance Theater is to provide classical ballet training and theater performance experiences that give testimony to the life-changing message of Jesus Christ.
