Paisley Kupka, originally from Winchester, VA, is in her fourth year training at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where she is pursuing her BFA in Contemporary Dance. Her dance training began at Shenandoah Conservatory Arts Academy, primarily focusing on ballet technique. Throughout high school and college, she began to expand her training to include various modern and contemporary techniques. At UNCSA, Paisley has performed in works by Robert Battle, Shen Wei, José Limón, Merce Cunningham, Brenda Daniels, Yvonne Rainer, and Pearlann Porter. Additionally, she enjoyed portraying the highly theatrical role of Drosselmeyer in UNCSA’s The Nutcracker, choreographed by Ilya Kozadayev. Paisley loves to collaborate with others, both in her choreography and performance. She has worked on films, YAGP, and drama productions at UNCSA.
Outside of school, Paisley is very involved in the Winston-Salem arts community and has worked closely with the Arts Council as an improvisational performer in collaboration with local live musicians. Recently, she attended the American Dance Festival and performed work by Bill T Jones, and she performed as a soloist in Wave Theory by Brian Brooks in its debut show at ADF Footprints. Alongside her dancing, Paisley completed her Pilates teacher mat certification in 2022, and occasionally substitutes at UNCSA.