Faculty Biographies

Marisa Roth, owner and director of the Northwest Ballet School & Company, began her training with the founder, Carol Jakes, at the Northwest Ballet School in Kalispell at age three. She graduated from Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania with a BA in dance with a teaching/choreography concentration. Marisa danced with the Lake Erie Ballet Company for three years, performing lead roles in ballets such as Nutcracker, Coppelia, Giselle and Serenade before returning to the Flathead to teach. She took over the Northwest Ballet in January 2007, continuing to grow the program to offer all the following dance disciplines: Ballet, Pointe, Tap, Jazz, Modern, Hip-Hop and Breakdancing. Her Company performs two shows a year with their annual Nutcracker and spring Mother's Day performances. Additionally, both the Kalispell and Whitefish branches of the Northwest Ballet School perform annual end-of-year Student Showcase Recitals. Marisa is currently on the board for a second term of the Montana Dance Arts Association (MDAA), and has taught dance in over six different cities throughout the state. She continues to perform as a five-year member of AzureVision Dance Collective, a modern company in the Flathead Valley. Marisa and her husband Michael live in Creston.

Natalie Molter received her training at the prestigious North Carolina School of the Arts under Fanchon Cordell, the late Duncan Noble, and the late ballet legend Melissa Hayden. She continued her studies on scholarship at the Milwaukee, Hartford, and Pennsylvania Ballets and the Hungarian National Ballet. As a professional, Natalie danced and toured with North Carolina Dance Theatre and Ballet International of Indianapolis. She is in her seventh year on staff at the Northwest Ballet School, is the assistant director of the Northwest Ballet Company, and is the owner of Big Sky Dance Fashions. Natalie lives in Columbia Falls with her husband Neil, son Mason, and daughter Cecilia. Natalie has danced four seasons with AzureVision Dance Collective.

Jennifer Walker-Wyatt grew up in Satellite Beach, Florida and trained under Erika Rappa and Deborah Crisafulli. She attended the University of Montana and served as adjunct professor for one year. Her work Gestalt was performed at the American College Dance Festival in 2003. Jen graduated with a BFA in dance with a teaching concentration from the Univsersity of Montana. Jen has danced with East Coast Dance Theater and Montana Transport Company and is in her third year of teaching at the Northwest Ballet School in Kalispell. She is co-director of AzureVision Dance Collective. Jen lives in Columbia Falls with her husband Matt and her beloved furry "children" Fred and Simon.