Kristin Hakala

Ms. Kristin received her formative training in Michigan with Cornelia Sampson, along with studies at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and San Francisco Ballet School. She began her professional career at the age of sixteen with the Nashville Ballet, where she held many leading roles. Most recently, Ms. Kristin was a principal dancer with Ballet West, where she performed the title roles in numerous ballets as well as a full range of contemporary, classical, and neoclassical works. She has performed internationally in China and Europe, including appearances in the 2004 Edinburgh International Festival. She appeared as “Sugar Plum Fairy” in a nationally televised broadcast on PBS and performed in the Winter Olympics with Ballet West in 2002. Kristin is also a certified yoga teacher, a practice she finds particularly complementary to the demands of ballet training. She has taught for institutions such as Ballet West and Ballet West Academy, University of California-Irvine, and Michigan Ballet Theatre, in addition to teaching international master classes. Most recently, she taught at the world renowned Beijing Dance Academy, where she has been invited to return as a Guest Professor in 2016. From 2005-2007, she served as an adjunct professor at Wright State University and was a faculty member of Pontecorvo Ballet School. From 2008-2011, she served on the faculty of the Indianapolis School of Ballet and the Central Indiana Academy of Dance. Currently, Ms. Kristin is a faculty member at the Maple Conservatory of Dance in Irvine, California.