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Studio Owner, Ballet Instructor

Jessica Larson

Blissfully sharing the beauty of ballet and helping adults discover both mental and physical freedom through movement is at the heart of everything Jessica does.

Jessica returned to ballet after a 5–6 year hiatus in her twenties following the passing of her mother. For a time, the grief made it feel impossible to continue dancing without being able to share that passion with her. Eventually, after moving to Colorado from California, she discovered Broche Ballet and made the courageous decision to step back into the studio. Returning to dance required patience and hard work, but it also brought immense joy and renewal. That experience deeply shapes the way she teaches today.

Through Blissfully Yours Ballet, Jessica has built a space where adults can rediscover themselves through movement. Watching dancers grow in confidence, strength, artistry, and freedom is one of her greatest sources of pride. The studio continues to grow alongside its community, and Jessica feels incredibly grateful to witness adults proving every day that ballet is not just for the young—it is for anyone willing to step to the barre and begin.

Biography

Jessica began dancing at the age of four and started teaching ballet at just sixteen years old. Her extensive training centered primarily on classical ballet while also exploring other styles, including jazz, contemporary, modern, and social salsa.

While earning her Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, she continued performing with several professional-level companies, including Gilbert Reed Ballet, Theresa Slobodnik’s Ballet Theatre–San Luis Obispo, Variable Velocity, and Orchesis Dance Company.

Under the mentorship of Gilbert Reed of Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, Jessica developed a deep understanding of the design and artistry behind classical ballet and pointe technique. She performed soloist roles in Reed’s ballets including Remembrances, Peter and the Wolf, Rhapsody in Blue, Vignettes, and A Christmas Carol, as well as principal roles in works such as Percussive and Children’s Toys.

During this time, Jessica also attended summer intensive programs with San Diego City Ballet and Ballet Pacifica, where she was selected to perform the role of the Lilac Fairy in Sleeping Beauty. After Reed’s retirement, she performed principal roles with Theresa Slobodnik’s Ballet Theatre–San Luis Obispo in original works, including Simple Gifts, Bach Prelude, Winter Suite, and 12 Days of Christmas.

Seeing adults progress in ballet continues to inspire Jessica deeply. She remains a passionate advocate for classical ballet education and believes strongly that it should remain accessible throughout adulthood.

Jessica also carries forward a meaningful legacy in honor of her mother. After her mother’s passing in 2012, Jessica’s family established a ballet scholarship fund with the goal of helping young dancers attend summer intensives. To date, the scholarship has supported over twenty dancers and continues to help foster the next generation of ballet artists. Celebrating 5 years of business has been a big milestone, and she holds gratitude for all those who have shared in reaching that achievement.

Adult Ballet Instructors

Gwen Schwartz, Instructor

Gwen has dedicated her life to dance and she is versed in classical ballet, modern (Limon Technique), contemporary, character, jazz, lyrical, and composition. She began dancing at age of 3 at the Hartt School Community Division Dance Department. At the age of 11, she was cast as Clara in their full-length production of The Nutcracker, which was when she truly fell in love with ballet. She then entered their Pre-Professional program and began training more intensively. While at The Hartt School, she trained under Samantha Dunster, Eddy Tovar, and Susannah Marchese. Additionally, she trained in the Limon Technique with Libby Nye. During her time at the Hartt School, she performed both soloist and corps de ballet roles in The Nutcracker (Snow Queen, Dew Drop, Ballerina Doll, Arabian, and others), Symphony #8, Paquita Suite, The Red Shoes, Swan Princess, Peter Pan, Snow White, Faust, Don Quixote, Le Corsaire, The Winged, variations from Sleeping Beauty, among others.

At 15, she was invited to join Boston Ballet School’s Pre-Professional Program. While there she trained primarily in the Balanchine Technique under Margaret Tracey, Kathleen Mitchell, and Miranda Weese. There she performed in Boston Ballet School’s Next Generation, Double Concerto, and The Nutcracker. She has attended numerous summer intensives including Boston Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, and The Hartt School under guest directors Angel Corella and Laura Alonso. 

In late 2018, she suffered a career-ending injury. Because ballet often requires injured students to observe class, the injury lent her the opportunity to step to the other side of the studio. While injured, she discovered a new way to express her love for the art and she began coaching peers. Though she had previously assisted and taught Pre-Ballet (ages 3-5) classes at both the Hartt School and Boston Ballet School, working with older students was something she quickly found herself especially captivated by. At the end of the 2018-2019 school year, she decided to step away from the ballet world and moved to Vermont. After a year hiatus, she was ready to come back to ballet. She decided to move to Denver, CO, and was honored to accept a position at Blissfully Yours Ballet. The philosophy of the studio resonates with her on a personal level and she is thrilled to have the opportunity to teach adult ballet. As a teacher, she is passionate about cultivating an emotionally and physically safe environment, where individuality is celebrated. 

Breegan Kearney, Instructor

Breegan Kearney is a Denver-based dance artist, educator, and choreographer whose work blends narrative, humor, and musicality to create compelling movement experiences. Originally from Kalamazoo, MI, she began her training in the Royal Academy of Dance system at the age of seven under Arlene Larson. She later received a dance scholarship to the prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy, where she deepened her technical and artistic foundation.

Breegan earned her B.F.A. in Dance Performance from SUNY Purchase, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2010. During her time there, she had the privilege of training under esteemed artists such as Megan Williams, Kazuko Hirabayashi, Kevin Wynn, Stephanie Tooman, Neil Greenberg, Sue Bernhard, Richard Cook, and Bettijane Sills. She then moved to New York City, performing with choreographers including Pam Tanowitz, Nelly van Bommel, Nicole Wolcott, and Annie Rigney.

In 2015, Breegan relocated to Denver, CO, where she continued performing and expanding her choreographic voice. She earned her M.A. in Dance Education from the University of Northern Colorado in 2020, along with a Colorado K-12 Dance teaching license. She has danced professionally with Hannah Kahn Dance Company, T2 Dance Company, and Stacey Temple Dance, among others.

While a faculty member at Rocky Mountain Ballet Academy, Youth America Grand Prix rewarded the school with a Best Faculty award. Breegan also teaches at Colorado Conservatory of Dance and Professional Ballet Program. Her choreographic work has been commissioned by organizations such as Presenting Denver, T2 Dance Company, and Somebody’s Friend Festival.

In 2019, Breegan launched her own choreographic project, "the breegan dance show :)," where she explores storytelling, movement experimentation, and site-specific performance. Her works have been presented throughout the Denver/Boulder area, engaging audiences through innovative, character-driven choreography. 

In 2025, Breegan was selected as the Pilot Artist In Residence at the Lakewood Cultural Center, with programming extending into 2026.

Catherine Board, Instructor

Catherine Board trained for ten years at the Maryland Youth Ballet under Tensia Fonseca and Michelle Lees (featured in the documentary First Position). At the age of 10, she was selected from over 250 children to perform with the New York City Ballet in A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Kennedy Center.

Catherine began dancing professionally at the age of 14 with Classical Ballet Theatre under Mark Mejia and Linda Kintz. She later graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and went on to dance professionally with both the Richmond Ballet and the Nashville Ballet, performing a wide variety of roles.

After moving to Colorado, Catherine continued her professional career with Ballet Nouveau Colorado (now Wonderbound), where she eventually became a Company Teacher, Ballet Mistress, and intern Artistic Director. She also served for eight years as a Guest Ballet Master with the Oklahoma City Ballet, helping direct and stage their production of The Nutcracker.

Over the past 20 years, Catherine has taught ballet to thousands of students. Many of her former students have gone on to dance professionally with companies including Colorado Ballet, Philadelphia Ballet, and American Ballet Theatre. Catherine is known for teaching ballet in a unique way that encourages students to apply the lessons they learn in ballet to their everyday lives.

Susan Jaffe, Artistic Director of American Ballet Theatre, invited Catherine to create a workshop designed to promote healthier, more conscious dancers. Together they developed a program called The Transcendent Dancer, which Catherine led for hundreds of dancers at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and the Orlando Ballet.

Today, Catherine is the founder of Greater Levels of Love and works as a full-time life coach. Through her coaching practice, she offers one-on-one coaching and trains others to become life coaches. Her work integrates the discipline, awareness, and personal growth she cultivated through ballet into transformational coaching.

Her work can be found at greaterlevelsoflove.com.

Leila McWhite, Instructor

Leila McWhite has been dedicated to classical ballet since the age of 10, beginning her training at Ballet Etudes in Mesa, Arizona. Over the years, she has expanded her artistry to include a wide range of dance styles and has trained with many professional dance schools through summer intensives, including Colorado Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Boston Ballet, and more.

At 18, Leila earned her Associate’s Degree in Dance and Fine Arts, gaining valuable experience in choreography and teaching while working with both children and adults. In 2024, she was accepted into Colorado Ballet’s Pre-Professional Program, where she continues to grow as a dancer and pursue her professional career in ballet.

Katie Jenkins, Instructor

Katie Jenkins is a native of Kansas City and began her training at Graves Talent Company. She was a scholarship recipient at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center in New York City as well as the Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles. She started her professional career with the Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company out of Kansas City and has had the opportunity to work with world renowned choreographers such as Donald McKayle, David Parsons, Milton Myers, Kevin Iega Jeff, among others. Katie has been a member of the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, City Dance Ensemble in Washington DC, TILT Contemporary Dance Company in Maui, HI, Malashock Dance Company in San Diego, and spent four years with the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble here in Denver. She has performed, taught, and choreographed for studios, universities, dance intensives, and dance festivals throughout the United States, as well as Canada, Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia, and Poland. Jenkins graduated on scholarship with a BFA in Dance from the Conservatory of Music and Dance at the University of Missouri—Kansas City and is thrilled to be joining the Davis Contemporary Dance Company Board

Maggie Buettner, Instructor

Maggie Buettner has been a part of the dance world since she was born. Her mother was her first ballet teacher, which fostered a love for movement at a very young age. She has trained in all dance styles, but with a focus on classical ballet. Maggie’s first job ever was teaching ballet, and from the first class she ever taught, at the age of sixteen, she knew that this was her true passion in life. Over the last decade, she has taught students from ages two to eighty-two, ranging from beginners to professionals. Maggie believes ballet is for everybody and is a way to bring joy, exercise, and artistry into the lives of everyone.  

Maggie attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst for her undergraduate studies, where she majored in dance and public health. She graduated with a B.A. in ‘Dance in Community Health Education’.  After moving to the Denver area in 2022, she continued her education at the University of Colorado Denver and received a master's degree in education. She now also teaches third grade. One of Maggie’s primary teachers growing up was former Alvin Ailey dancer Mucuy Bolles, and she has studied choreography with artists such as Helen Pickett and Camille A. Brown.

Kristen Poppe, Instructor

Kristen Helen Poppe is an interdisciplinary dance artist based in Louisville, Colorado. She started tap dancing at 19, but didn’t begin serious training until she was 32. Soon after, she quit her day job to become a dancer. Now she studies tap, ballet, Irish, flatfooting, and contemporary dance, and teaches tap and ballet to adults. She has made half a dozen dance films, some of which have been official selections in film festivals around the country. Her 40-minute solo-show, “Shoes” has been selected for three Fringe Festivals around the world. She is also the artistic director of Terpsichorean, a loose collective of adult students of dance who perform annually at a theater in Denver.