Teacher Bios
About Us
Ballet Petite is the first premiere dance education program exclusively for the young child. The specialized curriculum was developed by Nancy Parenti in 1992. Along with the technical leveling of each class, she developed the “storydance.”
Each day is a magical door opening to an enchanted realm where stories are enacted and the wonders of all of the arts shine in the light of imagination.
Ballet Petite is an intermediate step between natural movement and formal classical ballet training. The children learn to move from creative movement to pre-primary ballet. We incorporate dance choreography, classical children’s literature, music compositions and beautiful costumes.
The educational value is to introduce dance, artistically, to young children. The artistry of Ballet Petite speaks to the heart of children.
Miss Sarah G
Miss Sarah G is a new teacher with Ballet Petite! Miss Sarah G grew up taking Ballet, Tap, and Jazz as a young girl. She then became a figure skater, competing in theater on ice and international ice dance representing Denmark. She has performed with Disney on Ice for several tours, having the opportunity to skate for kids all over the world. Since that time, she finished her B.S. in Communications here in the DMV. Miss Sarah G has experience teaching skating and ballroom dancing as well. She loves kids, and being a part of giving them something to make their lives a little more magical and fun! Miss Sarah G loved The Little Dancer growing up as it was a book based on the sculpture by Degas of a young ballerina. There are many fun variations of this book!
Miss Cora
We are happy to welcome Miss Cora as a new teacher here at Ballet Petite! Miss Cora is a passionate young professional, who is eager to share her deep love for ballet with the next generation of dancers. Miss Cora graduated in 2022 with a BFA in Dance (Summa Cum Laude) from Point Park University. Over the past 20 years, she has trained in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Modern, and Hip Hop, starting at the age of 3 like many of our little ballerinas! Growing up, Miss Cora’s favorite ballet was The Sleeping Beauty, awestruck by all of the beautiful fairies and their colorful tutus. The Sleeping Beauty is one of the many storyballets that your ballerina will get to dance here at Ballet Petite and Miss Cora cannot wait to share this beautiful art with your dancers!
Miss Sarah Elizabeth
We are happy to welcome Miss Sarah Elizabeth back to Ballet Petite! Miss Sarah Elizabeth used to teach at Ballet Petite from 2010-2013 and we are delighted to have her returning with us. Since the age of 16, she has been sharing dance and music with children in places like Washington, DC, New York, and even Ireland! Her favorite ballet is Swan Lake and her favorite storybook growing up in Corduroy. There is nothing more powerful to Miss Sarah Elizabeth than the confidence, joy, and skill of dancers of all ages. She is looking forward to experiencing this and more with our ballerinas!
Miss Misse
Miss Misse is a new teacher with Ballet Petite! She is honored to be able to share her passion and love for ballet with our students. Dancing since the age of four, she has extensive experience, including the London Ballet School, The Dallas Conservatory, YAGP, and the School of American Ballet. Miss Misse has even performed with the New York City Ballet when they staged Coppelia and Sleeping Beauty! She is eager to motivate our ballerinas to express themselves through dance. Miss Misse is a current student at George Washington University and is pursuing a psychology and criminal justice degree. Her favorite storyballet is Romeo & Juliet, however it is hard to choose just one favorite! She is excited to be able to share her love for dance with our ballerinas!
Miss Natalia
Miss Natalia is new to Ballet Petite! Majoring in Television and Film Communications along with Psychology at Howard University, Miss Natalia loves to be creative and tell stories through art. She is classically trained in ballet by the New York Academy of Ballet. But also enjoys dancing contemporary, modern, jazz, and hip hop! She studied classical ballet under Susan Santoro, and modern dance under Steve Rookes. The dance studio is her safe space to express herself fully, and she is hoping to encourage your young ballerinas to express themselves through ballet and allow their creativity to shine through. She wants her students to feel safe enough to be all that they are when in class with Miss Natalia! One of her favorite ballerinas is Misty Copeland, and like many of our ballerinas, she loved the Angelina Ballerina books when growing up! Her favorite ballet is Swan Lake and she is looking forward to sharing her love of ballet with your ballerinas!
Miss Mina
Miss Mina has just joined Ballet Petite as a new teacher! Miss Mina is a recent high school graduate spending her summer teaching for Ballet Petite before she heads off to college. She comes to us from Seber Method Academy where she has 10 years of experience in Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz, and Hip Hop. She grew up loving the Dr. Seuss and Angelina Ballerina books. She has numerous years of experience working with children through her experiences with lifeguarding and babysitting, and she is looking forward to being able to share her love of dance with others.
Miss Calla
Miss Calla is no stranger to Ballet Petite, having grown up dancing as a young ballerina at our previous Bethesda location. With life's circular nature evident, she reminisces fondly about dressing up in costumes and bringing her favorite stories to life through dance. Currently pursuing a BS in Business Administration and Public Health at Northeastern University, Miss Calla remains deeply passionate about dance, eagerly ready to infuse her energy and expertise into nurturing young dancers. Since her earliest memories as a toddler, dance has been a boundless source of joy for Miss Calla. Now, she's thrilled to share that joy and help children discover the enchantment of movement. She understands the significance of providing a fun and safe environment for every child to thrive in their dance journey. Believing in the power of positive dance education, Miss Calla looks forward to exploring our captivating storyballets with her students, eagerly anticipating each ballerina's favorite. Reflecting on her own childhood, Miss Calla's adoration for the Olivia series highlights her love for storytelling. Witnessing young dancers blossom and develop brings her immense delight, fueling her dedication to their growth. Excited to begin this new chapter at Ballet Petite, Miss Calla is poised to inspire the next generation of ballerinas, fostering their passion for dance and guiding them to shine both in and out of class.
Miss Sarah P
Miss Sarah P has recently graduated from American University with a degree in Musical Theater. Teaching dance is something she is really passionate about as it combines her love of learning, movement, and collaboration. She has experience in musical theatre, as well as ballet, tap, and jazz. She resonates with Ballet Petite’s mission of bringing a story to life through dance, and the ability to give an introduction of performance to young ballerinas with Ballet Petite lights her up! Growing up, Miss Sarah P loved the Winnie the Pooh stories and she is delighted to be able to share and find out what ballets you love from class this coming session!
Miss Isabelle
