Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Kristen trained at The Royal Ballet School (RBS) during which time she won the April Olrich Award for Dynamic Dance, Adeline Genée Bronze Medal and was a Young British Dancer of the Year Finalist. She graduated into Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) where she danced most of the company’s soloist repertoire, including notable roles in Agon (1st pas de trois), Galanteries (solo girl), In the Upper Room (stompers), Pineapple Poll (Poll), Pulcinella (Rosetta), Shakespeare Suite (Kate), Sleeping Beauty (fairy of Modesty and pas de quatre), Swan Lake (pas de trois) and Take Five (Take Five). After leaving BRB she completed her BSc Honours degree in Psychology and her RBS teaching diploma with distinction, whilst touring the UK and Europe as a singer/songwriter/musician with artists Andy Burrows and Emmy The Great. Other performance work includes playing the role of ‘Lise Dassin’ in Christopher Wheeldon’s An American in Paris (London West End, Asia and Paris tours) Fallen Angels Dance Theatre, working with recovering addicts through the medium of dance and performance, and R&D workshops with choreographers William Tuckett and Andrew McNicol. Kristen has dance and acting credits in films An American in Paris: The Musical (Returning Soldier/Ensemble), Disney’s The Nutcracker and The Four Realms (Ballroom Ballerina) and Annihilation (Lena Double).
Kristen has worked with The Royal Ballet as a Principal Coach (Frankenstein), Assistant Choreographer (Swan Lake, The Cunning Little Vixen) and Teacher/Repetiteur for RBS students involved in RB productions (The Nutcracker, Frankenstein, Raven Girl). Her Staging/Rehearsal Directing experience includes Joffrey Ballet (Vespertine) and Bayerisches Staatsballett (With a Chance of Rain). Kristen has guest taught at the UK’s top vocational schools, namely, RBS, Elmhurst Ballet School, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and English National Ballet School, where she was the ladies’ teacher for the graduate year of 2020.
Kristen is currently working as a freelance Rehearsal Assistant for Scottish Ballet, continues to guest teach for schools and companies, and is an advocate for wellbeing and positive cultural advancement in the dance industry. She is very thankful to be returning to the stage with the McNicol Ballet Collective.