Join the Journey at Cuizon Ballet Centre

Lisa Cuizon’s journey in ballet began at age 8 at the prestigious Rozann/Zimmerman Ballet Center in Chatsworth, CA, a studio affiliated with Balanchine’s School of American Ballet (SAB). This affiliation provided exclusive access to guest instructors from the New York City Ballet (NYCB), offering unparalleled insights into Balanchine’s evolving technique. Sheila Rozann and Eleanor Zimmerman, the studio’s leaders, regularly attended Balanchine’s seminars, ensuring their students received cutting-edge training grounded in Russian Imperial Ballet traditions.

At 12, Lisa was awarded a Ford Foundation scholarship, recognizing her exceptional talent. By 15, she earned a full scholarship to SAB, selected by Violette Verdy, a celebrated prima ballerina. At SAB, Lisa trained under esteemed Russian ballerinas, including Madame Danilova, Madame Doubrovska, Madame Tumkovsky, and Madame Kosmovska, alongside distinguished instructors like Muriel Stuart of the Royal Ballet and Stanley Williams of the Royal Danish Ballet. Her exposure to Bournonville training enriched her artistry, solidifying her passion for a professional dance career.

At 17, Lisa came under the mentorship of Melissa Hayden, a legendary NYCB prima ballerina assoluta. She later joined Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) as a soloist in 1976, launching a 10-year professional career that included performances with Pennsylvania Ballet, Arizona Ballet, Puerto Rican Dance Theatre, Cleveland Ballet, and Los Angeles Chamber Ballet. Lisa also attributes much of her artistic growth to her long-standing mentor and friend, Wilhelm Burmann, whose guidance profoundly shaped her career.

Teaching Career and Studio Leadership

For over 42 years, Lisa Cuizon has been an influential ballet instructor, dedicated to shaping dancers with professional-level Balanchine training. In 2001, she founded Cuizon Ballet Centre to help students achieve their dreams—whether as professional dancers or successful individuals in their chosen paths.

Lisa carefully selects her teaching staff, ensuring they are seasoned professionals who bring firsthand experience in the demands of a dancer’s life, providing the guidance and support needed for both artistic and personal success.

Arianna is a dancer and movement educator with 25+ years of training across jazz, hip hop, ballet, and tap.

Arianna has danced hip hop since third grade, moving from studio classes to competitive teams, and taught hip hop in college. As Program Manager for Creative Netwerk's Santa Barbara chapter (formerly Everybody Dance Now), she helped build the program's structure during the organization's rebrand, working alongside pioneers of Litefeet and Chicago Footwork. She has also trained in New York through 36 Chambaz of Stylz at Peridance Center.

She studied theater arts at UC Santa Cruz and film and theater at the University of Sussex in the UK, and has choreographed and directed youth musical theater, including Lion King Jr. and Moana Jr. with the Santa Barbara School of Performing Arts.

Arianna fell in love with Balanchine ballet under Lisa Cuizon's mentorship, where she still trains, and completed Bodiography's classical ballet pedagogy training with Maria Caruso.

She is currently completing her Balanced Body Pilates certification and holds an RYT-200 yoga certification. She is the founder of The Heart Renaissance, where she teaches yoga, stress relief, and somatic and emotional literacy work.

Her classes pair technique with body awareness, so dancers build strength, range, and expression they can feel, name, and use.

Robin began her ballet training at Cuizon Ballet Centre under the guidance of Lisa Cuizon at the age of 11 while growing up and attending school in Thousand Oaks. She has since expanded her dance education by studying contemporary dance with Amanda K. Miller, Ashleigh Hunter Avery, and Hai Cohen, and jazz with Jonathan McGill.

Robin has also completed Bodiography's Classical Ballet Pedagogy Training with Maria Caruso, equipping her with innovative teaching methods that integrate dance, movement, and physical expression while nurturing creativity and confidence in young dancers.

With a natural gift for working with children, Robin creates a warm, encouraging classroom where students feel supported and inspired to learn. We are delighted to have Robin teaching at Cuizon Ballet Centre and look forward to the positive impact she will have on our youngest dancers.