Meet Liz (Elizabeth) Gilbert, one of Rising Star Tumbling and Dance Studio’s newest dance instructors for the 2025-26 season, sharing her passion for ballet, tap and contemporary.
Liz started her dancing journey in Casper, WY. at various local studios but spent most of her time growing up under the teachings of Hether Marsh-Schiek and faculty at the Rocky Mountain School of Dance.
While at RMSD she attended many competitions and workshops where she received notable awards, including Technical Excellence.
After graduating high school in 2007, she attended Casper College to receive her Associates of Arts in Dance. During this time, she also performed in many dance productions and musicals including The Grapes of Wrath, as the Fishmonger in Brigadoon, as Mama Toad in Thumbelina, and other dance concerts.
Liz discovered her love of working backstage during this time, as well as on stage while working Sweeney Todd.
Liz then transferred to the University of Wyoming where she performed in various shows such as Songs from Ellis Island, as a snow demi-soloist in The Nutcracker and the works of Bill T. Jones.
Her capstone project to earn her Bachelor of Arts in Dance was a creation of a complete dance combined with video projection and other media.
After graduating with her BFA she moved to Bismarck, North Dakota where she worked full time at Northern Plains Ballet as the Administrative Coordinator while also working on choreography, costumes, sets and props for shows such as The Nutcracker, Rapunzel, Alice in Wonderland and Beauty and the Beast.
She then moved to Grand Forks, North Dakota where she helped run programs within North Dakota Ballet Company, including the pre-professional adult program. She also taught the Dance Minor program at the University of North Dakota and danced in shows as well as helping with choreography, and creating costumes, sets and props. Notable works consisted of The Nutcracker, Fairy Doll, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland and Snow White.
Years later she moved from NDBC to Billings, Montana and continued her career at Movement Montana and the School of Classical Ballet at the Montana Dance Center.
Liz is finally back in Casper to be near family and to find a new sense of community she has missed while away from home.