Nancy Pasley Ballet School

Picture Pasley Dance Studio had its beginnings in Ames, Iowa back in the 1950's when Nancy Smalling taught the neighborhood kids in her parent's basement studio. Nancy taught through her junior, high school, and college years using the minimal fee she charged her 150 students to put herself through college. After graduation with a degree in elementary education and getting married in the spring of 1965, Nancy continued teaching dance and 4th grade until moving with her husband and family to Grand Forks, North Dakota in 1969. Nancy danced with and taught for the North Dakota Ballet Company until she started her own school in the basement of her home in 1975. We soon outgrew our small basement studio and moved to the Hempp Centre in 1983. After our great flood of 1997, we were forced to move from the Hempp Centre but happily aqcuired our current building, (originally a church, then a day-care center) where we are today. We remodeled and built our current studio with wall-to-wall, ceiling to floor mirrors, professionally built ballet barres, state of the art sound system and professional Marley dance floor. Our studio is located in a well lit, safe neighborhood with our own private parking lot and entrance. Parents can pull up in front and watch their children walk the 12 steps into the studio. After class children can wait with their parents in our entry way that has windows on three sides. We don't anticipate ever moving from our church studio. We love it here!