She trained as a dancer and competitive artistic swimmer. She is also a Nationally Certified Pilates Instructor, Scuba and Rescue Diver Certified, and a Functional Range Conditioning Movement Specialist. Ellen is the Founder and Artistic Director of the multi-disciplinary film project, the Bodies of Water project.
She began her dance training at the age of five at the Viva Pastor Academy of Dance under retired Showgirls, Heather Victorson, a member of Royal Ballet Company, and Viva Pastor, a Radio City Music Hall Rockette. Inspired and in awe of their stories of showgirl life and the days of Lido de Paris and Les Girls, Ellen knew she was destined to be a performer. Three, hot summers later, Ellen joined a recreational synchronized swimming camp to beat the heat, and there she fell in love. Blending athleticism with artistry and competition with teamwork, Ellen joined the Nevada Desert Mermaids where she was mentored by Artistic Swimming legends, Linda Tannenbaum and Stephan Miermont. She went on to become a nationally ranked athlete and a member of the 2007 Youth National Team.
Ellen is a graduate of the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts, and she received a BA in Journalism and Dance from the University of Nevada, Reno. Since then she has performed at The Going Dutch Festival, Chicago, IL; Cleveland Dance Festival; Sugar Space, Salt Lake City, UT; The Reno Dance Festival, Good Luck MacBeth Theatre, Reno, NV; Built on Stilts Festival, Martha’s Vineyard, MA; and at The Yard Artist Residency, Chilmark, MA.
Some of her performance and entertainment credits include being a professional Mermaid at the Silverton Casino Aquarium, and working as an artistic swimmer and immersive entertainer with WET Swim Show and Elan Artists.
She founded her interdisciplinary film company, the Bodies of Water project, in 2024, with funding and support from the Nevada Arts Council and National Endowment of the Arts. Her first film, water/woman, was screened at the Third Coast Dance Film Festival at the Nevada Museum of Art in 2024.
