Kiersten Lewis
Artistic Director and Co-Founder
Kiersten Lewis
Kiersten Lewis is the Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Ballet Etude Company and Academy. She began her ballet training at The Studio for the Performing Arts under the guidance of her parents, Jef and Karen Horne, both former professional dancers with Ballet El Paso. There, she studied ballet, pointe, jazz, and tap, performing in beloved classics such as The Nutcracker and The Firebird, as well as original works. Over the years, she danced many leading roles in The Nutcracker, including Marzipan, Arabian, Snow Queen, and Sugar Plum Fairy.
Kiersten went on to earn her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Modern Dance from the University of Utah, where she trained extensively in performance, choreography, and teaching. She also studied Pilates and is a certified Progressing Ballet Technique instructor. Her passion for education and excellence in ballet instruction continues to fuel her desire to develop well-rounded, technically strong dancers.
Throughout her career, Kiersten has found creative ways to stay connected to dance while raising five children with her husband, Matt. She taught and choreographed at The Studio for the Performing Arts and spent five seasons performing and creating with Valley Dance Ensemble in Logan, Utah. After relocating to Idaho, she performed and choreographed with The Dance Collaborative for two seasons, later serving as Ballet Director at Eagle Rock Dance, and subsequently teaching ballet at Dance It for five years. Kiersten currently teaches ballet at BYU–Idaho and Ballet Etude Academy, where she especially enjoys teaching her daughters alongside her students.
In 2020, Kiersten choreographed Clara and the Land of the Sweets for the Dance It Ballet Program, an original holiday production enjoyed for five seasons. In 2022, she and Madissen Fujimoto co-founded Ballet Etude in Rexburg — a dream born from their shared vision to bring professional-level ballet education to a rural community where opportunities were limited. Since then, Kiersten has co-directed productions of Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, and Christmas at the Ballet, and directed Peter Pan. She has also created numerous works for Ballet Etude Galas and looks forward to continuing this creative process.
In January 2024, Kiersten and Madissen opened Ballet Etude Academy to provide elite training for local dancers. Having completed teacher training at the renowned Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, founded by Marcia Dale Weary, they have incorporated this curriculum as the foundation of Ballet Etude Academy’s training program.
Kiersten is proud to be shaping the future of ballet in Rexburg and remains devoted to providing exceptional training, inspiring choreography, and meaningful performance opportunities for dancers of all ages.