Kristin Lindsay Orza received her early training from Virginia Stapleton before joining Marin Dance Theatre. She was accepted into the career bound program at MDT under the direction of Margaret Swarthout, former soloist with The Royal Ballet, whose mentorship helped shape the careers of many talented young dancers. Kristin enjoyed an eight-year professional career performing and touring with Ballet Florida and Company C Contemporary Ballet.
Transitioning into teaching, Kristin joined the faculty at The Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia, where she worked closely with advanced students who achieved remarkable success at YAGP and other international competitions. She taught, coached, and prepared dancers for elite-level performances, and took great pride in helping them secure acceptances into prestigious programs such as English National Ballet and the Paris Opera Ballet School.
After relocating to Tennessee, Kristin and her husband Aaron founded Nashville Classical Ballet Academy (NCBA), a refined training program for students pursuing a pre-professional track. Under their leadership, NCBA students have been accepted into elite summer intensives including the Royal Ballet School, Boston Ballet School, Houston Ballet, Ellison Ballet, English National Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and San Francisco Ballet, among others. At the professional level, students have gone on to receive traineeships, apprenticeships, and corps de ballet contracts with respected companies across the country. NCBA is the most awarded ballet program in Tennessee, with students earning top placements at both YAGP and UBC—including multiple 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishes alongside Outstanding Teacher accolades. Kristin teaches a classical curriculum rooted in her training with Shannon Bresnahan, Margaret Swarthout, and Jorge Esquivel.
Wrapping up the thriving business of NCBA to relocate back to California, Kristin was appointed School Director of Vitacca School of Dance’s Woodlands location in Texas. She stepped into the role at a time when the program was operating with very limited enrollment and, within a single season, successfully grew the school to more than double its size. In addition to overseeing the development of the Woodlands program, Kristin regularly traveled to Vitacca’s Houston location, where she taught, coached, and worked with students across the organization.
Kristin and Aaron have now brought their combined experience home to the San Francisco Bay Area with the founding of Orza Academy of Ballet in Walnut Creek, California. OAB represents the culmination of their decades of experience as professional dancers, teachers, coaches, directors, and school founders. Together, they are building an academy centered on exceptional classical ballet training while creating an environment in which each dancer is known, challenged, and thoughtfully guided throughout their development.
At Orza Academy of Ballet, Kristin is deeply involved in building the school from the ground up—from shaping its curriculum and faculty to developing its student programs, performances, and broader artistic vision. Her experience growing and directing ballet programs has informed OAB’s approach: maintaining the standards and discipline of classical ballet while creating a school that is personal, supportive, and focused on the long-term development of each dancer.