Beth Secrest
Classical Ballet & Pointe Instructor

Beth's early dance instruction began in her hometown of Charlotte, NC where she trained in both the Cecchetti and Royal Academy methods of ballet technique.  During high school, her training continued as she was a student at the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem.  While attending college in Raleigh, NC and majoring in elementary education, Beth continued dancing with both The Charlotte City Ballet Company and The Raleigh Dance Theater. In 1990, she danced professionally with The Louisville Ballet Company in Kentucky where she feels her growth as a dancer peaked. Beth eventually received a BA in Education along with a K-6 teaching license from The University of NC at Charlotte. After teaching school for 10 years, Beth returned to her dancing roots and in September 2003 helped launch the classical ballet program as the first Artistic Ballet Director at Pleasant Ridge Fine Arts Academy. She is now using her teaching experience to enhance her dance instruction. "Both professions work perfectly together," she says. "My joy in teaching dance is at its greatest when my students understand how their bodies move, and they get excited because the technique works!  I love to see them light up and genuinely enjoy the art of ballet."