Classical Ballet, Tap, Jazz, HipHop
Boys only classes
Adult classes
Tumbling
1921A Dover Road, Epsom NH
603-
Info@balletnorthnh.com
Kiera St. Laurent
Kiera St. Laurent is dance instructor and company choreographer for Ballet North, teaching ballet, jazz, contemporary, lyrical, tap, and modern, and is also a Reading Specialist at Barnstead Elementary School. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Hartford with a Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education. Kiera was originally a part of the Hartt School Ballet and Pedagogy Program. A knee injury sidelined her dance career plans, but she was able to continue her love of teaching by transferring into the education program.
In her late high school and early college years, Kiera had the opportunity to work
with outstanding instructors in the dance field and worked as a professional dancer
in Boston Dance Company’s Performance of The Nutcracker. While at the Hartt School,
she worked with the Division Director of Dance, Stephen Pier, as well as top faculty
members, Hilda Morales, Ralph Perkins, Katie Stevenson-
Her dance training began when she was four years old and continued through high school
and part of college. Her ballet training over the years has allowed her to become
familiar with Balanchine, Cecchetti, and RAD technique methods. During this time,
her main instruction was at New Hampshire School of Ballet with Director Jennifer
Beauvais-
Kris and Simon Hales
Owners
Kris and Simon Hales opened Ballet North in July 2015 to serve the children, teens,
and adults of the Suncook Valley area. Both coming from a family business background
and participating in many different areas in the dance world for twenty years, they
have built a studio founded on offering the best instruction for a reasonable price
so all can learn.
Kris and Simon have worked in many areas in the dance world. Kris has a great deal of experience working the wings, dressing rooms, costuming, communication, and managing large groups of dancers before and during shows. Simon has worked in the areas of music, sound, stage hand, website design and maintenance, and has participated in shows on stage for over ten years including parts in the Nutcracker, Les Misérables, and West Side Story. They are both skilled at prop building.
Kris earned an Associates in Business with a Major in Travel and Tourism before going back to school for a BA in Sociology. An airline ticket and gate agent for nearly 30 years, she has worked with customers in the service industry her whole working life and traveled to 80 countries. Simon is from England, so when they were first married Kris worked as a manager of a travel agency. When they moved back to the US, Kris was also an adjunct professor in the Tourism department at NHTI for four years. Kris’ early experiences included years of teaching horseback riding at Boy Scout Camp, teaching swimming in the summer and also at the YMCA, Gymnastics, Ski Patroller at Gunstock, and was an EMT for Center Barnstead. Kris continues to volunteer for the Boy Scouts every summer teaching horseback riding.
Simon has a degree in Computer Technology from England and has worked in technology
fields since moving to the US. While in England he ran a successful post market
car alarm, phone and radio installation business (back before there were hand-
Tanya Hansen
Tanya teaches all styles of dance in all age groups, and as a mother of three, brings the experience of working with all ages and that “mom” flair that is especially helpful in working with our youngest students. Tanya recently certified as an Acrobatics Arts Instructor and our entire Acrobatics program has transitioned under her guidance. She is also an accomplished choreographer, with her students winning many overall high point awards at competition, and is particularly skilled at staging for full length shows. A military spouse, she lived in California with her family on base and studied film acting with Aaron Metchik at Actor’s Edge for three years. In her younger years, she also studied gymnastics and music. Tanya is an active musician, playing the saxophone, piano, guitar, and flute, and writes her own music.
Logan Hales
Logan Hales is a recent graduate of the University of New Hampshire with a BA in Theater, Dance Option, and a minor in Geography, and performed as a professional tap dancer and percussionist with the Drumatix based in Massachusetts. He currently teaches Ballet and Tap to ages six to adult and his tap choreography has won numerous awards in competition. During his time at UNH, he was a member of the UNH Ballet Company and performed several lead roles including Basil in Don Quixote and the Prince in Cinderella. During his college years, Logan also guested for several Nutcracker Productions in the roles of the Cavalier and the Nutcracker.
Logan began dancing at age three and competed in dance from the age of seven until high school graduation with the New Hampshire School of Ballet Dance Company and the Creative Steps School of Dance Company, winning several titles with is tap solos, including winning 8th place overall at Nationals. He also competed in group dances in ballet, jazz, contemporary, and tap. Logan preformed extensivity with the Southern New Hampshire Dance Theater and Edra Toth’s School of Dance his school years. Logan studied tap with Sue Harrington and Mary Beth Marino, and ballet with Doug Davis, David Sun, John Ling, and Edra Toth, and spent summers training at the Kiorv Ballet Academy in Washington, DC, Bossov Ballet in Maine, and Nutmeg Ballet in Connecticut. He also participated in the Youth American Grand Prix ballet competition, the most respected ballet competition in the country. Logan is an accomplished musician, playing the piano/keyboard, drums, and the guitar, is an Eagle Scout from the Northwood Scout Troop and worked summers as a lifeguard and sailing instructor around his dancing.
Sarah Duclos
Sarah holds a Bachelor of the Arts in Theatre and Dance from the University of New
Hampshire and is trained in ballet, character, jazz, and modern. She specializes
in teaching classical ballet (Vaganova method), choreography and composition, dance
history, inclusive dance for movers with disabilities, and is one of the first dance
educators in the world certified to teach all five levels of Giordano jazz technique.
Sarah was appointed to the juried New Hampshire Arts in Education Roster in 2016
and she launched an online ballet curriculum for adults called Couch to Ballet in
2019. She has worked as a performer and choreographer for both theatre and concert
dance, and as a dance educator, notably working as a master teaching artist for Boston
Ballet’s Education and Community Initiatives. Sarah also served as a faculty member
in Phillips Exeter Academy’s Department of Theater and Dance, where she served as
Interim Director of Dance during the 2015-
As a young dancer, Sarah worked directly with
Liz Lerman Dance Exchange during their two-