Pasley Ballet School

Pasley Ballet School has a rich history that began in the 1950s when Nancy (then Smalling) taught the neighborhood kids in Ames, Iowa. After moving to Grand Forks with her family, Nancy started her own studio in the basement of her home. The studio quickly outgrew its small basement studio and moved to the Hempp Centre in 1983. However, after the flood of 1997, the school was forced to move again and was fortunate to acquire the beautiful building (originally a church) where it is located today. The studio was remodeled and built with wall-to-wall mirrors, professionally built ballet barres, professional Marley dance floor, and state-of-the-art sound system.

Our studio is located in a well-lit, safe neighborhood with a private parking lot and entrance. Parents can pull up in front and watch their children walk directly into the studio. After class, children can wait for their parents in our entryway with windows on three sides. We love our church studio and don't anticipate ever moving from it.

Hours

The studio opens 15 minutes before classes each day. While classes extend well into the evening, the office is considered "closed" after 6 pm. Please take care of any business beforehand. See our class schedule for more information.

Monday: 3:30 - 6:00

Tuesday: 3:00 - 6:00

Wednesday: 3:30 - 6:00

Thursday: 4:00 - 6:00

Friday: 3:00 - 6:00

Saturday: 9:30 - 12:00

Nancy Pasley

Nancy Pasley has owned and operated Pasley Ballet School in Grand Forks since 1975, teaching hundreds of children over the years. She began her dance career at the age of four, studying under Ann Dirksen in Ames, Iowa. She graduated from Iowa State University with a B.S. in Elementary Education, and taught classes locally for nine years before moving to Grand Forks with her family.

Nancy attended the prestigious Jacob's Pillow Dance Camp for six weeks in the summer of 1963 where she studied ballet, character, flamenco, lyrical, pointe, and modern with Geoffrey Holder, Margaret Craske, and Ted Shawn; the founder of Jacob's Pillow. She performed and taught for the North Dakota Ballet Company from 1970-1975 where she was introduced to the late Mary Ellen Wier. The two enjoyed a lifelong friendship, dancing together through many camps and workshops, including their annual trips to Aberdeen, South Dakota where they attended Johnny Cavelle's dance workshops.

Nancy has danced in and choreographed numerous ballets and musicals, including performing the part of the Sugar Plum Fairy in "The Nutcracker Suite" at Iowa State. Many years later, she "graduated" to the part of Mother Ginger in Ronn Guidi's production of the same at the Chester Fritz in 2000, 2002, & 2003. Throughout her long career, Nancy's greatest joy of all is her dance school and the students she has come to know. Nancy feels she offers the very best dance education possible, with exceptional instructors.

Jennifer Pasley-Johnson

Jennifer Pasley-Johnson was born and raised in Grand Forks, ND, and began dancing at age two from her grandmother, Nancy. She has taken classes in ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, lyrical, and hip hop and is currently teaching ballet, tap, and pointe. Jennifer has performed in numerous productions, including the Nutcracker, Coppelia, and Alice in Wonderland. She has also choreographed many dances for the school's annual recital. Jennifer is married and has two children who also dance at the school.