Meet our Teachers

  • Anneke De Jong is from Stillwater, MN where she began her classical Vaganova training with St. Croix Ballet. In 2013, she was invited to NYC to train with Gelsey Kirkland in her Professional Program. After completing her training at GKA she returned to MN and danced with St. Paul Ballet and Continental Ballet as apprentice and then with Metropolitan Ballet as demi-soloist, where she performed lead roles of Marie in the Nutcracker and Diamond Fairy in Sleeping Beauty. In 2016 she accepted a position with Texas Ballet Theater Studio Training Company and performed in TBT’s Alice in Wonderland under the direction of Ben Stevenson. Anneke also had the opportunity to train with Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam, Open World Dance Foundation, Bolshoi Ballet, English National Ballet, Bossov Ballet Theatre and Kirov Academy of Ballet.

    In 2017 Anneke became a founding company artist with Magnum Opus Ballet in Madison, WI where she performed many lead roles and choreographed her first professional piece. She has also danced professionally with US International Ballet and Columbia Classical Ballet. During her time there she had the opportunity to perform demi-soloist roles such as Columbine Doll and Waltz of the Flowers lead. In 2022 Anneke joined Canyon Concert Ballet in Fort Collins. Where she has had the opportunity to perform in many lead roles such as Miettes qui tombent fairy in Sleeping Beauty, Columbine Doll, Licorice and Hot Chocolate in Nutcracker among many others.

    Along with dancing, Anneke loves teaching and sharing what she has learned from her teachers with the next generation of dancers.

  • Natsuho Noguchi was a Principal Dancer with Canyon Concert Ballet, Fort Collins. She began her ballet journey in Milan and continued her training at Showa University of Music in Tokyo, graduating with honors in Ballet. 

    She has since performed professionally with companies across the U.S., including City Ballet of San Diego, Atlantic City Ballet, and Ballet Theatre of Indiana, in roles ranging from lead roles in classical such as Aurora from Sleeping Beauty and Juliet from Romeo and Juliet to contemporary works.

    A certified level 3 Progressing Ballet Technique instructor, she equally loves sharing her passion and experience by teaching the next generation.

  • Quentin began his dance training in a small town called Paola, Kansas under the tutelage of Miss Lacy at The Dance Studio, now Miami County Dance Movement. There he trained in ballet, jazz, contemporary, and musical theatre. Additionally, he partook in competitive cheer and was a collegiate cheerleader with The University of Missouri-Kansas City before moving to Colorado. He has received degrees in both Dance and International Relations from Colorado State University and The University of Northern Colorado respectively. He danced with Canyon Concert Ballet for many years and guested with various companies in different states including Texas and New York. Quentin hopes to continue to bring dance to people with varying backgrounds and help bridge the gap in the arts both financially and culturally. He also loves historical dance and is looking forward to continuing his study of tying historical dance when dancing at renaissance faires like the Sterling Renaissance Festival in New York.  In addition to dance, Quentin is also a cosplayer and model. He has modeled for shows such as Thailand Fashion Week, LA Fashion Week, and Denver Fashion Week. When not dancing, he creates and competes in cosplay competitions. In his free time he plays Dungeon & Dragons, listens to Kpop, watches anime and Kdramas, and bakes!

  • Melissa Corr is a native NewYorker. She began her training with Russian Prima Ballerina Liana Hausler. She eventually joined her company, Genesee Civic Ballet and later Hausler and Company, where she enjoyed many solo roles in the Classics. 

    Upon arriving in Colorado, she continued her dancing with Denver Civic, now Colorado Ballet. 

    Through the years she became very interested in pedagogy,  and continued to study again in NYC , taking vigorous classes with such greats as Melissa Hayden, Patricia Wilde, Basil Thompson, Nadine Ravine, Zena Romett and  Gelsey Kirkland.

    Returning to Colorado and rekindling her admiration and love for her Russian training, she studied and danced for Misha Tcherpakova, Meelis Pakri, Pavel Rotaru,Jilliana, Lorita Travaglia, and  Dmitre Roudnev.

    Melissa has been a pillar in the Fort Collins ballet community, working with the Chamber Orchestra, Fort Collins Symphony,  Fort Collins Opera, and the theater companies as well. She has taught and performed throughout the United States and Canada for over 50 years. She has been a member of CCBs fine staff since 1979 and was Ballet Mistress for over 20 years.

    Melissa retired from Colorado State University Music Theater and Dance Department in 2010, where she was the intermediate and advanced ballet technique professor.. She restaged many classic works and also choreographed numerous works of her own during those many years. 

    For the last 13 years she has taught during the spring semester for Escuela Profesional de Danza De Mazatlan,Mexico, a 4 year dance degree program, and also company class for Delfos, a world renown contemporary company. She has been invited to teach in several states in Mexico and also the National School of Ecuador and Mexico in Mexico City. Melissa splits her time now between Mexico and Fort Collins.

  • Sarah Bailey began dancing in Washington, D.C. at the school of the Washington Ballet and continued to study dance at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. After graduating, she performed with 4M Dance while working as a zookeeper at San Francisco Zoo. Later she earned a Master of Education degree, integrating her passion for movement and animals working as an Early Childhood Educator in Austin, Seattle, and Fort Collins. She has over 20 years of experience in Early Childhood Education, and over 11 years as a Dance Educator.

    Sarah was a faculty member of Canyon Concert Ballet in Fort Collins from 2015-2026. Although her primary focus was on teaching younger dancers, she taught dancers age 18 months through seniors, summer camps, created costumes pieces and props, was the Volunteer Coordinator and danced in The Nutcracker annually. During her tenure at CCB, she began a new class, Move With Me, for children 18 months to age 3 with an adult. This class provided the opportunity to dance together in an enriching and developmentally appropriate design. The pedagogy for this class came from Sarah’s training with Terry Goetz at Creative Dance Center in Seattle on “Brain Compatible Dance Education” developed by Anne Green Gilbert. Sarah was honored to attend the first annual Colorado State University Dance Department Education In Motion professional development seminar for educators in 2016 and has returned yearly. Also, in conjunction with the CSU Dance Department, Sarah serves as a mentor for undergraduate dance majors concurrently earning teaching credentials.

    This past year, under the mentorship of master educator Lisa Morgan, Sarah has been attending the Moving Through Parkinsons classes at the CSU Center for Healthy Aging.

    She is utilizing her growing knowledge about working with seniors to teach weekly seated movement classes in the community. In the spring of 2026, Sarah finalized the coursework for teaching Pilates mat classes and will soon complete her practicum.

    Sarah is deeply passionate about dance education and takes advantage of every opportunity for professional growth to enhance her knowledge and understanding of the value of movement throughout our lifespan. She has 2 daughters who dance and still maintains a “zoo” in her house! Lastly, Sarah is overjoyed to regroup with former colleagues, students and families teaching at Gratie Ballet!

  • Sadie became an apprentice with Canyon Concert Ballet in 2017 and joined the company in 2018. She has trained with Canyon Concert Ballet for 23 years. She has also trained with Colorado Ballet, Kaatsbaan Extreme Ballet, and The Boston Ballet School. She has trained in Ballet, Modern, Contemporary, Jazz, and Musical Theater.

    Sadie has also been accepted into the University of Alabama and Utah’s dance programs, and programs at Houston Ballet, Ballet West, and American Ballet Theater. Some of her favorite roles she has performed have been The Arabian Princess and Snow Queen in The Nutcracker, and The Rose in Alice in Wonderland.

    This year she is looking forward to teaching and performing with Gratie Ballet, Front Range Classical Ballet and the Performing Arts and Dance Alliance.

Binyamin Salzano

Eliza Moore

Bios Coming soon