Marisa DeEtte Whiteman

Joined KCB in 2018, +4 Years – Second Company

Marisa DeEtte, from St. James, New York, began her classical training at Seiskaya Ballet. At 14, she was invited by Peter Stark to join the Next Generation Ballet, where she danced in La Traviata with Opera Tampa and in the YAGP Gala at Lincoln Center. She later continued in Pittsburgh Ballet Theater’s Pre-Professional Program, performing Snow and Flowers in The Nutcracker, and the Putti Couple in Septime Webre’s Cinderella. She subsequently trained privately for a year and was awarded Top 12 in the Senior Classical Division at YAGP. 

Whiteman has spent summers at San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and Orlando Ballet. She has performed at the Hermitage Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia and at Jacob’s Pillow, where she was featured in a work by Yury Yanowsky for the Gala Performance. She also performed as a Stepsister in a benefit performance of Cinderella with Misty Copeland and as Zelda Fitzgerald with Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance. 

Since joining Kansas City Ballet in 2014, Whiteman has progressed from trainee to KCB II, apprentice and main company. Featured roles include the Cowgirl in Agnes de Mille’s Rodeo, Bomb Squad in Twyla Tharp’s In the Upper Room, Lead Duet in Alexander Ekman’s Cacti and Tinkerbell in Devon Carney’s Peter Pan. She has also enjoyed performing Kick Girl in William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated, Petite Mort by Jiří Kylián, Umbra by Myles Thatcher and George Balanchine’s Diamonds, Emeralds, Rubies, The Four Temperaments and Theme and Variations, among others. 

In addition to performing, Whiteman is certified in Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT) and Pilates. She teaches and coaches students at the Kansas City Ballet School for YAGP and other competitions. In 2025, she became Marketing Director for Moving Arts, a local summer dance company. She also holds a B.S. in Business from Pennsylvania State University. 

Whiteman is thrilled to begin her 13th season with Kansas City Ballet.