Directors
- Terri Kayser, Artistic Director, has been studying and performing classical ballet, modern, tap and jazz dance since the age of seven in both Atlanta and New York. She graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Dance from Georgia State University. Her performing credits include principal roles with the City Center Dance Theatre and the Carl Ratcliff Dance Theatre. She has appeared in “Damn Yankees” with Dick Van Dyke and “My Fair Lady” with Victoria Mallory, as well as the musicals “Brigadoon” and “Mame” at the Alliance Theatre. She has also worked with Red Clay and Et al. Dance of Atlanta. Her choreography has been seen on the stages of the Alliance Theatre, Theatre Gael, the Academy Theatre of Atlanta, the Gainsville Theatre, and the Grand Theatre of Cartersville. She serves as the director and resident choreographer for the Cartersville City Ballet. Mrs. Kayser has served as the chairman of the Dance Division of the Governor’s Honors Program at Valdosta State College. She has taught at Georgia State University, North Side School for the Performing Arts and at the Dekalb School for the Performing Arts. In 1992, she served as the Dance Consultant for the Art Start project for the Georgia Council for the Arts and the Department of Education. Mrs. Kayser co-authored a Quality Core Curriculum Guide in Dance for grades K-12 for the State of Georgia Department of Education as well as a Dance Resource Guide for grades six, seven, and eight. Mrs. Kayser served as the dance educator for Woodland High School of the Arts in Cartersville, Georgia for 23 years.
Karen Grantham, Artistic Director, has been with the Cartersville School of Ballet, Ltd. as a teacher and choreographer for over 20 years. Karen was a member of the International Ballet Rotaru. As a dancer she toured Romania as well as danced at the Tbilisi Opera House in Soviet Georgia. She has been a guest performer with Atlanta Dance Unlimited, Kennesaw Dance Troupe and numerous companies in the South. Karen has also appeared as a dancer on TBS and CNN. Karen shares her expertise in ballet, jazz, and tap with the students of the Cartersville School of Ballet, Ltd. and the dancers of the Cartersville City Ballet.
Katie Stull, Associate Director, received her early training at the Academy of Ballet Arts in Marietta. She attended Texas Christian University as a scholarship student, where she graduated summa cum laude with a BFA in Ballet and News-Editorial Journalism. Upon graduation she danced with The Georgia Ballet professional company for seven seasons. Her repertoire with the company includes “Giselle,” “Paquita,” "La Sylphide," "The Nutcracker" and George Balanchine’s “Valse-Fantaisie” and “Serenade,” among other works. While performing she began to teach and choreograph. Katie worked extensively with The Georgia Ballet’s Arts in Education program to provide instruction in Marietta City Schools and created the curriculum for an advanced ballet class at Marietta High School. She has set pieces for The Georgia Ballet Professional Company, Dance Canvas, Cartersville City Ballet, Dance Stop Company and Elite Dance Academy. Katie is entering her 13th year teaching at the Cartersville School of Ballet, and she sponsors the school's National Dance Honor Society through the National Dance Education Association. Katie also has a combined twelve years of experience working for local newspapers and news websites.
Instructors
Chelsie Culp
Margot Harris received the majority of her dance training from Cartersville School of Ballet. She graduated from Kennesaw State University with a BA in Dance and a BA in Business Administration. She is the Office Manager for the Dance Department at Kennesaw State University and a certified yoga instructor. She has performed with KSU Dance Company, Addereth Contemporary Ballet, and Cartersville City Ballet. Margot loves sharing her passion for dance as an instructor and choreographer.
Claire Horn has a background in ballet, contemporary/modern, contact improvisation, and yoga. Growing up in Mississippi, she took lessons at Ballet Mississippi, Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet and with the Howell School of Ballet. She completed the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) syllabus examinations Grade 2 through Advanced, and over the years performed roles from angel, to Clara, to Sugar Plum, and more, in The Nutcracker with Ballet Mississippi and Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet. She spent most summers attending dance camps including the school associated with the International Ballet Competition, the Royal Academy of Dance in London, New York and Denver, BalletMet, Jacob’s Pillow, and the American Dance Festival.
In college at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she studied ballet with Joffrey ex-principal dancer Julie Janus Walters and modern with Marian Turner Hopkins. She also choreographed and performed with the student group Modernextension. After graduation, she danced with a group called Anima Dance in Durham, North Carolina. Then in Atlanta, she performed her own work, danced with Elizabeth Dishman’s Coriolis Dance, and was a long-time member of Jerylann Warner’s group Gathering Wild. She completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training at Peachtree Yoga Center.
In college at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she studied ballet with Joffrey ex-principal dancer Julie Janus Walters and modern with Marian Turner Hopkins. She also choreographed and performed with the student group Modernextension. After graduation, she danced with a group called Anima Dance in Durham, North Carolina. Then in Atlanta, she performed her own work, danced with Elizabeth Dishman’s Coriolis Dance, and was a long-time member of Jerylann Warner’s group Gathering Wild. She completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training at Peachtree Yoga Center.
Christen Knight, Office Manager and Instructor, began dancing at the age of three in Cartersville, Ga. She has trained in ballet, tap, jazz and contemporary. In her years with the Cartersville City Ballet she has performed in many classical ballets, including "The Nutcracker," "Sleeping Beauty" and "Coppelia," as well as the company’s spring variety show "A Dance Kaleidoscope." While in high school she also had the opportunity to perform in many school musicals, including "Once Upon A Mattress," "All Shook Up," "FAME," and "In The Heights." Christen graduated from Kennesaw State University with a BS in Psychology and a minor in Applied Statistics and Data Analysis. While at KSU she was a research assistant to Dr. Sarah Holmes in KSU’s dance department, where she got to study the physical and mental effect of Pilates reformer training on university level modern and ballet dancers. Christen is the Office Manager at Cartersville School of Ballet, and is currently dancing with the Cartersville City Ballet’s Professional Ensemble and AboutFace Contemporary Dance Company out of Decatur, GA. Christen is excited to share her passion with the students of The Cartersville School of Ballet.
Katie-Ruth Lowe is a Cartersville City Ballet Alumni. Upon graduation from Woodland High School in 2008, she went on to earn her BA in Dance with a concentration in contemporary dance from Kennesaw State University. While at KSU, Katie-Ruth performed with the KSU Dance Team, many seasons with the KSU Dance Company, and the KSU Theatre Department in their production of “Cabaret” (2012) and served as choreographer for the operatic performance of “Iolanthe”. While performing with the KSU Dance Company, she had the opportunity to perform alongside gloATL in “Hinterland” (2010), “Maa’” (2011), and “I May Just” (2012). Katie-Ruth was a founding member of the Dance Honor Society, Nu Delta Alpha, where she served as president for two terms. In pursuit of continuing her dance education, Katie-Ruth attended numerous winter intensives at the American Collage Dance Festival held in New York City (2011, 2012, 2013). Katie-Ruth has experience as a performer in the Modern Atlanta Dance Festival, Dance Canvas, and was a founding member of Atlanta-based contemporary dance company Emily Cargill and Dancers where she toured nationally. Outside of dance, Katie-Ruth is a registered dietitian with a master’s degree in clinical nutrition. She excited to share her passion for dance and nutrition with the next generations of dancers at Cartersville School of Ballet.
Leslie Parker began her dance training at the age of three at Cartersville School of Ballet. She was a member of the Cartersville City Ballet for eight years. In 2009 she went on to further her education at Kennesaw State University, where she graduated with a B.A. in Dance. During her time at KSU she was a member of the Dance Company for four years. She performed works by Ivan Pulinkala as well as several other choreographers. Leslie was a member of the KSU’s dance honor society NDA. In 2014 Leslie’s choreographic work was selected to be presented at the American College Dance Festival. She was also invited to perform in a nationally recognized work that was showcased at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. Upon graduation she went on to receive a license in massage therapy, and she is currently a practicing therapist. For the last four years Leslie has been a member of Cartersville City Ballet's Professional Ensemble. Leslie is excited to begin her fifth year on the teaching staff at CSB.
Hattie Thompson received the majority of her dance training from Cartersville School of Ballet. She danced at CSB from age three until she graduated from high school. Participation in annual productions of “The Nutcracker” and Kaleidoscope, as well as many end-of-the-year recitals, were highlights during her years there. Hattie went on to continue her education at Kennesaw State University where she graduated with a BA in Public Relations and a minor in Dance. Hattie currently serves as the Director of Youth Ministries at Sam Jones Methodist Church. In September, she will begin her Masters in Divinity at Asbury Theological Seminary. Hattie is thankful for the many teachers at CSB and Kennesaw State who have instructed and encouraged her through the years. She feels that dance is a safe place where one can come and forget about the craziness of life. Hattie is so excited to share her love for dance with students.
