Jennifer, originally from Long Beach, California, began her dance career with the Eugene Ballet in 1994. She received her formal training at the School of the Long Beach Ballet and the Orange County Performing Arts High School. After being awarded a full scholarship to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, she was honored with the Canadian National Award of Excellence. Her early performance experience includes dancing with the Long Beach Ballet, the Francisco Martinez Dance Theater in Southern California, and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet.
Upon joining the Eugene Ballet, Jennifer advanced to the position of principal dancer, a role she held until her retirement in 2012, after which she became the ballet mistress. In this capacity, she managed training exercises, rehearsals, and touring, while also overseeing rehearsals for guest choreographers such as Penny Saunders, Val Caniparoli, Gerald Arpino, and Stephen Mills, in addition to the company’s existing repertoire. In 2017, she was named Associate Artistic Director.
During her tenure as a principal dancer with the Eugene Ballet Company, Jennifer performed in many beloved lead roles, including those in “Swan Lake,” “Carmen,” “Rite of Spring,” “Two’s Company,” “Dracula,” and “Romeo and Juliet.” Jennifer has also had the privilege of re-staging pieces for the Summer Dance Lab in Walla Walla, Washington, and Point Park College in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Additionally, she was entrusted by the Dennis Spaight Trust to re-stage “Scheherazade” for both the Oklahoma City Ballet and Oregon Ballet Theatre.
In 2017, Jennifer welcomed the arrival of her son and had a daughter in 2020. She cherishes the time spent with her family.