Elizabeth van Heerden is from Cape Town, South Africa where she began dancing at a young age with Marina Nicalaou and later with the Cape Junior Ballet School. She went on to study at the Kirov Academy of Ballet of Washington D.C for four years, receiving Russian training under teachers from the Vaganova Academy, Bolshioi, and Perm schools.

After graduating as valedictorian with honours, she went on to study at Butler University as a member of Butler Ballet. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Dance: Arts Administration and a minor in English with high honours in the Spring of 2023. She has performed in a range of classical ballet repertoire including Giselle, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and La Bayadere. She also performed in a production of Balanchine’s Serenade while at Butler under the direction of Deborah Wingert.

She has had experience teaching classical ballet classes in Cape Town as well as during her time at Kirov. She gained administrative skills through an internship with Move For Two, a non-profit organization in Cape Town and continues to offer her skills and support for such organizations and endeavours.