June Ballet Series
Join NESA’s June Ballet Series in Lebanon, NH, serving families across the Upper Valley—a focused, three-week program for dancers of all ages and experience levels. Led by professional dancer and instructor Kassady Small, these small-group ballet classes help students build technique, confidence, and a love of movement in a supportive, artist-centered environment.
Whether your child is just beginning or ready to refine their technique, NESA’s approach combines strong foundational training with creativity, confidence-building, and joy in movement.
Space is limited. Registration reserves your student’s spot, and classes will be confirmed once minimum enrollment is reached.
Class Offerings: June 10 - June 27
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Discover Dance!
Instructor: Kassady Small
Cost: $90
Schedule: Saturdays, 9:45-10:35 am
Dates: June 13, 20, and 27
Ages: 3-4
Course Description: Discovery Dance is a great way to introduce dance and ballet into a young child’s life. We will explore creative movement, improve motor skills! Skip, Run, Leap into this exciting class! We will read ballet stories and play games! Most of all we will have fun moving our bodies! This fifty minute class is the perfect activity for your tiny dancer!
Dancers must be joined by a guardian.
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Intro to Ballet
Instructor: Kassady Small
Cost: $90
Schedule: Wednesdays 4:30-5:30 pm
Dates: June 10, 17, and 24
Time: 4:30-5:30pm
Ages: 5-7
Course Description: Intro to Ballet is the big stepping stone to the ballet world! We will discover the Ballet Barre, learn ballet positions and learn the etiquette of a ballet class. We will continue to make ballet playful and have a positive learning environment that supports a young artist's developing mind.
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Intermediate Ballet
Instructor: Kassady Small
Cost: $90
Schedule: Thursdays, 4:30–5:30 pm
Dates: June 11, 18, 25
Ages: 8+
Prerequisite: Must have three years of dance experience
Course Description: Intermediate Ballet will refine the foundation of ballet and progress further learning. Dancers will increase their ability mentally and physically with retentiveness of combinations as well as conditioning exercises. Dancers can move with confidence in this supportive environment.
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Advanced Ballet
Instructor: Kassady Small
Cost: $180
Schedule: Wednesdays, 5:45–7:15 pm & Fridays, 4:30–6:00 pm
Dates: June 10, 12, 17, 19, 24 and 26
Ages: 13+
Prerequisite: Must have 6+ years of ballet experience
Course Description: Advanced Dancers will further their dance education, solidify their foundation, and strengthen their bodies. They will discover and learn Ballet Variations! Dancers will dip their toe into performance training, learning stage presence and what makes a good performer.
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Adult Ballet
Instructor: Jennifer Guess
Cost: $180
Schedule: Saturdays, 10:40-12:40 pm
Dates: June 13, 20, and 27
Ages: 18+
Course Description: An intermediate adult ballet class designed for both exercise and artistic challenge offers a balanced blend of technique, strength-building, and expressive movement. This level is ideal for dancers with prior ballet experience who are comfortable with foundational vocabulary and are ready to refine their skills while pushing their physical limits.
Classes typically begin with a thorough barre warm-up to develop alignment, flexibility, and muscular control. Center work follows, incorporating more complex combinations that emphasize balance, coordination, and musicality. Dancers can expect to work on turns, extensions, and traveling sequences that gradually build in speed and intricacy.
In addition to improving posture and core strength, this class provides a full-body workout that enhances endurance and agility. Attention is given to proper technique and injury prevention, while also encouraging dancers to explore artistry and personal expression.
Whether returning to ballet or continuing a long-term practice, participants will find this class both physically rewarding and creatively engaging—a space to challenge the body, focus the mind, and enjoy the discipline of dance.
A New Home for Dance in the Upper Valley
With the recent closure of Lebanon Ballet School and other major transitions in the Upper Valley dance community, many families are looking for a path forward. NESA Ballet is stepping in to provide high-quality, nurturing training for dancers of all ages.
We intend to complement, not replace, the work of remaining local dance educators and studios, and look forward to collaborating with area programs to support students and families during this period of transition.
About Your Instructor
Kassady Small
Kassady grew up in Enfield, NH and began dancing at the age of two at Lebanon Ballet School. From 2001 to 2009 she worked with the Albany Berkshire Ballet as a student. She then joined City Center Ballet company in 2010 and danced professionally with them since 2015 with roles of Snow Queen, Arabian, Dew Drop (Nutcracker), Crystal Fountain Fairy, Ruby Jewel (Sleeping Beauty), Caterpillar and Alice (Alice in Wonderland). She graduated in 2019 from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee with a BFA in dance, emphasizing in Ballet.
Since graduating she has gone on tour professionally multiple seasons with Albany Berkshire Ballet. Kassady has worked with a variety of local and international choreographers such as: Jennifer Henderson (CCB), Madeline Culpo (ABB), Sydney Skybetter (BOCO), Tommie-Waheed Evans (BOCO), Gregory Dawson (BOCO), Jon Ol Stad (BOCO), Adriana Suarez (BOCO) and Gianni Di Marco (BOCO). Kassady is a current company dancer with Saving Grace Dance Ensemble in Bedford, NH.
In addition to being a professional dancer, Kassady is an active Ballet teacher at Dartmouth College for Dartmouth Classical Ballet Theater. Kassady enjoys teaching all levels of ballet from ages three to adult and creates a safe and positive artistic environment.
About Your Instructor
Jennifer Guess
Jennifer is an experienced dance teacher and dance coach specializing in technical training and performance preparation. Classically trained in the Vaganova method of ballet, classical modern techniques (Horton & Graham), and jazz (Luigi, Maddox, Hachett). She graduated from North Carolina School of the Arts in 1989, and supplemented her training with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre from 1985-1991 before being signed, working and traveling with the Campbell Agency (Dallas) and Fontaine Agency (Los Angeles). In addition to walking the runways in New York, Dallas and Los Angeles, Jennifer worked in print, editorial, catalog, and commercial television advertising. Jennifer is one of the founding members of NESA.
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