Alyssa Pilger was born in Rochester, New York, and began her dance training at age four with Performance Plus Dance. At age 15, she continued her studies focusing in ballet with Draper Center for Dance Education. While attending she competed in Youth American Grand Prix Rhode Island, and won 1st place in the senior classical category along with third in the contemporary. She received additional training at School of American Ballet, the official school of New York City Ballet before joining Carolina Ballet in 2012. Alyssa Pilger was promoted to principal dancer with Carolina Ballet in 2019.
