Mrs. McKeon has been teaching ballet for nearly 30 years. She began her ballet training with Merrilee Smith at the Atlanta School of Ballet. At 17, she joined the Atlanta Ballet under the direction of Robert Barnett, a former soloist with New York City Ballet. Rising to the rank of soloist, Marthavan performed a number of roles including “Lilac Fairy” in “Sleeping Beauty”, four little swans in “Swan Lake” and “Dew Drop” in Balanchine’s “The Nutcracker”. Marthavan continued her career with other prominent companies including the Pennsylvania Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, and the Nurnberg Staats Oper in Germany.

Marthavan taught in a number of summer programs including at the l’Academie Americaine de Danse á Paris (AADP) in France, and as Artistic Director of the Milton Academy Summer Dance Program. She taught at Boston Ballet School for 10 years until opening her own school, South Shore Ballet Theatre, which has since relocated to a state-of-the-art facility in Hingham, MA.

Marthavan is an ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 5 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management from Georgia State University. She also holds a University Certificate of Proficiency (Zertifikat Deutsch als Fremdsprache) in Business German from Friedrich Alexander Universitat in Erlangen, Germany.

Most recently, Mrs. McKeon was nominated to the Who’s Who in Dance by CID-UNESCO (International Council on Dance) based in Paris.

A former soloist with Boston Ballet under the direction of Founder, E. Virginia Williams, Ms. Woodies toured the US and Europe with Dennis Wayne’s DANCERS, and was a Guest Artist with New York Dance Theater at Lincoln Center. Her musical theater credits include: “Cassie” in A Chorus Line directed by Michael Bennett; Principal cover in On Your Toes directed by George Abbott; “Flo” in The Mystery of Edwin Drood with author/composer Rupert Holmes; and, created the role of “Kathleen” in Drumwright opposite John Cullum. Film work: Jolly, Echoes, A Chorus Line – the movie, Disney’s Aladdin, andBender.

As a choreographer and director: California Music Theater, Long Beach Civic Light Opera, Lifetime, the Disney Channel, Paramount, Disney World, Brown University and Walnut Hill School. Ms. Woodies has received DramaLogue and Robby Awards, an IRNE Nomination, and the Dennett Distinguished Career Award. Leslie was pleased to accept an appointment to Harvard University Faculty of Arts and Sciences as Visiting Lecturer in Dramatic Arts. A faculty member of: the Boston Ballet School, Boston Conservatory, and Emerson College. Director of What the Dickens for Deb Mason’s CYDP at the John Hancock Theater, and was the first Associate Artistic Director for Tony William’s Urban Nutcracker.

Kendra Frank, originally from Cape Cod, Massachusetts began her pre-professional training under the instruction of Tanya Vincent and Beth Vages. She continued her training at South Shore Ballet Theatre, with Marthavan Mckeon, George Birkadze, Stephanie Moy, Leslie Woodies, Dona Silva, and Nan Keating. She has also attended summer intensives on scholarship to Miami City Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, Bay Pointe Ballet, and Festival Ballet Providence.

In 2016 Ms. Frank was offered a traineeship with Bay Pointe Ballet in San Francisco. The following year she trained with Festival Ballet Providence as a Post-Graduate. From 2018-2020, Kendra danced as a company member with City Ballet Boston.

This is her third season with the Florida Ballet Company. Previous roles with the FLB Company include; Waltz Girl in Les Sylphide, Columbine Doll, Snow Crystal, Spanish, Marzipan, Demi-Flower in FLB Nutcracker, the Women’s Duet in Forleo’s Entangled, Spring Fairy in Roger VanFleteren’s Cinderella, Corps in Linda MacArthur Miele’s Souvenir, Pas de Trois and Allegro Variation in Paquita, Flames of Pairs Pas de Deux, Mustardseed Fairy in Forleo’s A Midsummer’s Nights Dream, and Swan Lake Pas de Trois. She has choreographed Amo Voce and Mayah in FLB Company’s A Choreographer’s Choice ’21 and ‘22.

Kendra Frank is an ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum.

Nichola Montt, originally from Boston, MA received her training under the direction of Marylou Cunningham in Hanover, MA and at Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre in Cambridge, MA. She has also trained with the American Academy of Ballet, Festival Ballet Providence, and in Paris, France with Dance New York International. While in Paris, Nichola studied with teachers from the Paris Opéra Ballet, Stefanie Batten Bland and had the opportunity to perform a piece set by a member of the William Forsyth Company, at the invitation of Kazuko Hirabayashi. While with the Purchase Dance Company, Nichola performed multiple works by Jessica Lang. Ms. Montt graduated from SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance with a BFA in Dance and a minor in Arts Management. Upon graduation, she started her professional dance career dancing with XACO Contemporary Ballet in NY before joining Ballet Spartanburg where she danced as a company dancer for 7 years. Nichola has performed lead roles in The Nutcracker, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Cinderella, An American in Paris, The Sleeping Beauty, The Great Gatsby and The Balcony Pas De Deux from Romeo and Juliet. In September 2016, Nichola and Ballet Spartanburg company member Will Scott performed Passages, a duet choreographed by Lona Gomez for TEDxTryon in North Carolina. Most recently Nichola has been dancing with Hudson Ballet Theater in White Plains, NY. Nichola is excited to be back in Massachusetts and is looking forward to teaching at South Shore Ballet Theatre.

Marisa began her training at Children’s Dance Workshop with Nan Keating and later at Boston Ballet School in Norwell. As a full ballet scholarship student, Marisa received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Hartford (Hartt School) in Ballet Pedagogy. During her time there she taught ballet at the Hartt Community School (a division of the Hartt School at the University of Hartford) and followed a Cechetti based curriculum. She attended the Martha Graham School of Dance with a full scholarship. 

Some of her performance repertoire include roles in Giselle, Les Sylphides, Napoli, Martha Graham’s Panorama, Paquita, The Nutcracker, and Balanchine’s Valse Fantasie.  After college, in addition to teaching at SSBT, Marisa received a certification in children’s yoga instruction.  In 2012 she completed her certification with ABT’s National Training Curriculum for levels Primary through level 3. She has presented students for examination at SSBT and is currently an ABT Primary – Level 3 Affiliate teacher. Marisa has been with SSBT for 10 years as Head of the Young Dancers Program and in 2019, as the Head of the Lower School.

Lacey Sasso is the founder and Artistic Director of Sasso & Company, a Boston-based modern dance company. She attended Missouri State University where she earned a B.F.A in Dance Performance with a minor in Psychology. Lacey spent six seasons with Undertoe Dance Project (NYC) where she served not only as the Jazz Captain, but she was also the resident Jazz teaching artist and a featured choreographer. Lacey relocated to Boston where she was a member and featured choreographer for Six One Seven Dance Collective for four seasons. She served on the faculty at Boston University and Walker’s Dance. Lacey spent two years living in the United Kingdom where she was on faculty with the Royal Academy of Dance, Montage Theatre Arts, and Kew Dance Arts. Since returning to Boston, Lacey has completed the Dance for PD® Introductory Dance Teacher Training Course and is NGCP® certified in the basic, beginner, and intermediate levels of Giordano technique. She is also certified in Progressing Ballet Technique®. Lacey is an independently licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) and holds a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology and Expressive Arts Therapy from William James College. Lacey is in her fourth season with Project31. Lacey currently teaches on faculty at South Shore Ballet Theatre, Urbanity Dance, and Raquelle’s Dance. Lacey is beginning her sixth year on faculty at South Shore Ballet Theatre.

Born and raised in central Illinois, Jessica has been training in various styles from a young age. As she got older, she found a passion for ballet and completed her training at Peoria Ballet and Central Illinois Ballet under Rebekah von Rathonyi. She later received her minor in Theatre Dance at Illinois Wesleyan University, following which she performed and taught with Central Illinois Ballet, where she was eventually Assistant Artistic Director.

After her time there, she became incredibly interested in the intersection of biomechanics and the art of dance, which led her to attend physical therapy school at Belmont University in Nashville, TN. There, she worked with dancers in both clinical rotations and research while obtaining her doctorate. Upon graduation, she has continued to relentlessly pursue her passions of helping dancers to dance pain free and to maximize their performance though a variety of scientifically proven biomechanical techniques.

Robert Giambo graduated from Woonsocket High School in Woonsocket, RI.  He then went on to study music at Rhode Island College.  In 2006 he received his Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance.  Since then Robert has received many musical opportunities accompanying many talented musicians and dancers.