Bristen groves
Dance Instructor
Bristen currently studies Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies at New College of Florida and is the new General Manager of Sarasota Contemporary Dance. While she has been dancing ever since she can remember, she started training at the age of seven and has since become well-trained in multiple styles and danced pre-professionally. Bristen most recently danced with SCDE, Sarasota Contemporary Dance's training company, but also played the lead role in the most recent musical with performance @ new college. She is excited to be choreographing the next upcoming musical at New College in Spring 2023.
Bristen has always had a strong passion for dance, but her hard work and strong faith are what took her training to the next level. In 2016, she was cast as the lead role in her dance studio's Christmas show, the St. Augustine Winter Spectacular. Over the next few years, in addition to dancing over sixteen hours a week on average at her school and studio, she was a member of the Dancelook Apprentice Program, where she danced in several music videos and worked with Carlos Garland from So You Think You Can Dance, Season 10, and a member of Artists Simply Human’s (ASH) The Company. With ASH, she traveled to over 10 cities assisting, helping backstage, performing, and working closely with teachers and choreographers such as CJ Salvador, Hannah Easley, Lisette Bustamante, Jojo Gomez, Braham Logan Crane, Tovaris Wilson, and Mia Michaels, as well as Alan Bersten from Dancing with the Stars. Receiving such extensive and intense commercial training gave her the push she needed to grow in some of her weaker dance styles, including hip hop. Now, she is confident to say that hip hop is one of her favorite styles and she is excited to teach it this year at WFA!
Bristen has always had a strong passion for dance, but her hard work and strong faith are what took her training to the next level. In 2016, she was cast as the lead role in her dance studio's Christmas show, the St. Augustine Winter Spectacular. Over the next few years, in addition to dancing over sixteen hours a week on average at her school and studio, she was a member of the Dancelook Apprentice Program, where she danced in several music videos and worked with Carlos Garland from So You Think You Can Dance, Season 10, and a member of Artists Simply Human’s (ASH) The Company. With ASH, she traveled to over 10 cities assisting, helping backstage, performing, and working closely with teachers and choreographers such as CJ Salvador, Hannah Easley, Lisette Bustamante, Jojo Gomez, Braham Logan Crane, Tovaris Wilson, and Mia Michaels, as well as Alan Bersten from Dancing with the Stars. Receiving such extensive and intense commercial training gave her the push she needed to grow in some of her weaker dance styles, including hip hop. Now, she is confident to say that hip hop is one of her favorite styles and she is excited to teach it this year at WFA!
