Calista Elkins

Calista Elkins has been dancing for 15 years and was trained at The Dance Shoppe in Waterford, Michigan. She is trained in ballet, jazz, modern, contemporary, pointe, lyrical, and tap, but she most enjoys musical theatre and acrobatics. During her time at The Dance Shoppe, she was a member of the competitive dance troupe “The Classy Dancers,” as well as the pre-professional dance troupe “Select.” Calista also held the title of Miss Dance of Michigan in 2023 through Dance Masters of Michigan, where she won the George Lon Memorial Scholarship Award at the Dance Masters of America Nationals for receiving the highest musical theatre score in the entire Miss/Mr. division. During her senior year, Calista was also named Distinguished Young Woman of Michigan, where she won both the talent and fitness awards at the state and national levels.

Currently, Calista is a sophomore at the University of Michigan, pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Nursing along with a minor in Dance. She is a member of the University of Michigan’s very first D1A Club Dance Team, Michigan Competitive Dance, where she had the opportunity to compete in both the Jazz and Hip Hop categories at NDA Nationals in Daytona last April. She is also a member of Impact, a jazz and contemporary focused dance troupe, where she performs at multiple events across campus throughout the year.

In addition to dancing herself, Calista has a passion for sharing her love of dance with younger students. Having been an assistant dance teacher since the age of 12, Calista loves helping dancers learn and choreographing pieces. Calista is beyond excited for her first year of teaching at Piazza and can’t wait to share her passion with her students!