Meet The Director

Kristi Bell

“One has to have a talent for teaching, a separate talent, different from the kind that makes a great performer.”- Alexandra Danilova

Kristi Bell has been dedicated to the fine art of ballet for over twenty-five years and has studied modern, contemporary, jazz, tap, character, hip-hop, and musical theatre at Loyola University New Orleans, Tulane University, North Carolina School of the Arts, Nashville Ballet, and various studios in Baldwin County.

While working as a professional dancer, Kristi graced the stages with Ballet Pensacola and Ballet Theatre of Maryland, Maryland’s premiere professional ballet company. As a soloist of Ballet Pensacola, she had the honor of performing as the Bird in the initial production of A Nightmare Before Christmas, choreographed by Richard Steinert; and, during her time at Ballet Theatre of Maryland, she danced in Aladin, The Nutcracker, and Swan Lake, choreographed by Diana Cuatto.

While earning her Bachelors of Science in Psychology and a Dance Minor from Loyola University New Orleans, Kristi performed such roles as Arora from The Sleeping Beauty, Nikiya from La Bayadere, and Queen Mekhmene Banu from A Legend of Love, among many other lead roles. Along with gaining the title of Loyola’s Dancer of the Year twice, she also won the Junior Philharmonic Society of New Orleans’ overall honor, The John Tobin Award. At age 17, Kristi was named Baldwin County’s first Distinguished Young Woman (formerly known as Jr. Miss). In the scholarship program, she won the Talent, Fitness, and Self Expression categories within the overall title. She went on to choreograph for the prestigious program and has now been on involved with the program for ten years. With her guidance, her students continue to win talent merits, among many other awards and scholarships.

With over ten years of classical piano training and as a member of the National Piano Guild, Kristi strives to inspire artistic flair with respect to rhythm and sensitivity to musical variations.  Over the past decade, she has taught the Vaganova method of ballet at Loyola Preparatory Ballet, and been the Ballet Mistress of multiple studios in the Baldwin County area.