Elise Holmes began her training at Pasadena Dance Theatre under Cynthia Young and Laurence Blake. In 2015, she was the recipient of the Pasadena Arts Council Young Artist Award for Dance. She spent summers studying at Ballet Arizona and on scholarship at Boca Ballet Theatre where she performed in Dan Guin’s Coppélia.
She went on to the University of California, Irvine (UCI) where she received her B.F.A in Dance Performance with a minor in Biological Sciences. During her time at Irvine, she was the recipient of the William J. Gillespie Scholarship and performed featured roles in excerpts from La Bayadère, Le Corsaire, and La Sylphide. She also traveled to Shanghai, China as part of UCI’s East Meets West Dance Festival.
Holmes returned to Pasadena Dance Theatre for two seasons as a soloist appearing in their fall gala and their Nutcracker production. In 2020, Elise joined San José Dance Theatre as a Trainee performing roles such as the Coulante Fairy in Sleeping Beauty and being featured in original works by Linda Hurkmans, Michael Pappalardo, and Mariana Zschoerper.
