Karessa is a dancer from Ogden, Utah, who loves to choreograph, perform, write, and teach. She recently graduated from Southern Utah University with a Bachelors of Science in Dance Performance and a Minor in Arts Administration, where she served as the Southern Utah University Dance Organization’s Marketing Director (2021-22) and Artistic Director (2022-23). Upon graduation in Spring 2023 (Summa Cum Laude) she was awarded SUU’s Theater, Dance, and Arts Administration’s Outstanding Graduate in Dance.

Before attending SUU Karessa trained at Julie Moffitt Ballet School for 10 years, where she studied many forms of dance, performed as lead roles in Julie Moffitt's "The Nutcracker," and student taught younger classes. While in Cedar City, UT, (2023) she was a ballet teacher at On-Stage Dance Studio to students of all levels.

Karessa is a passionate artist, who loves using dance as a way to educate, uplift, and bring communities closer. She finds meaning in combining poetry with dance, and enjoys creating dance films. Karessa is an advocate for making dance accessible to everyone physically, socially, and economically. After graduating from SUU, she choreographed and performed in the Spazio Seme Dance Festival in Arezzo Italy (2023), then returned to Utah where she is currently working as Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company’s Marketing Manager and a teacher here at Julie Moffitt Ballet School.