Lisa Startsman has had a prominent presence in the Washington, D.C., ballet community as an influential instructor, choreographer, repetiteur, coach and leader for over thirty-five years. Currently, she is an adjunct associate professor of dance at Shenandoah University. Startsman has experience instructing various levels of ballet and pointe, as well as choreographing and coaching at facilities throughout the D.C. area, including the Washington School of Ballet in Washington, D.C., the Loudoun School of Ballet, Ashburn Academy of Dance and ION International Training Center. For twenty-seven years, Startsman was also assistant director of the Ballet Department at the Loudoun School of Ballet. She taught the Early Release program and successfully coached dancers to compete in international ballet competitions, such as YAGP and ADC, where they received top placements, scholarships and career opportunities with ballet companies. Startsman has received the honor of the Outstanding Teacher award from YAGP and Outstanding Educator by The Governor’s School for Humanities and Visual and Performing Arts of Virginia.

Along with her tenure at the Loudoun School of Ballet, Startsman was also artistic director for the Loudoun Ballet Performing Arts Company from the inception of the company in 2017 until 2023. In that time, she collaborated in creating new works and full-length ballets, including The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, The Little Mermaid and The Wizard. Startsman also had the privilege of coaching and choreographing the Arabian Prince for NFL professional, Josh Norman, in The Nutcracker, which was featured on Fox Sports television. She previously served as ballet mistress and repetiteur for the Loudoun Ballet Company for eight seasons and facilitated the productions of Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, ‘Kingdom of the Shades’ from La Bayadère, and the annual The Nutcracker. She has also created works presented at the ION International Training Center’s The Snow Story and The Moment of Silence music video with rap artist, Lucidious.

Lisa completed her Bachelor of  Arts in Ballet from the University of Akron, and her professional and performing experience includes the Canton Ballet Company, the Experimental Dance Ensemble, Ohio Ballet and the Cleveland Opera. She has completed her teacher exams through the professional level with the Cecchetti Council of America. In addition, she has completed workshops and certifications in Adaptive Dance from Royal Academy of Dance, Rhythm Works Integrative Dance and the Boston Ballet. Startsman values the importance of education and strives to provide her students with a well-rounded and growth-oriented approach to dance and to life.