Meet the Ballet Staff

Grace Snider

Director, Ballet at Nolte

Grace Snider began her ballet training at age six at the School of Colorado Ballet in Denver. She continued her training at the American Ballet School in San Diego before being accepted in Houston Ballet Academy on full scholarship in 1990. After two years of training in the academy, Grace was invited to join Houston Ballet by Ben Stevenson at age 16; making her the youngest company dancer in Houston Ballet's 50-year history. In 1997, Grace joined Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, where she danced for two seasons before retiring from her performing career in 1999. Grace began teaching ballet at Pittsburgh Youth Ballet under the direction of Jean Gedeon. She then moved to Iowa and accepted a teaching position with the University of Iowa Dance Forum in 2001. Grace was promoted to lead instructor for advanced levels in 2002, and then to Director of UI Youth Ballet program in 2003.  She joined the Nolte Academy of Dance in 2007 bringing her impeccable training and proven ability to bring ballet students along to the highest classical standards.  In addition to her position on the Nolte faculty, Grace has worked as a rehearsal assistant with the Balanchine Trust, and Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, and enjoys guest teaching engagements with the Houston Ballet.

Tad Snider

Advanced Ballet and Pointe

Tad Snider began his ballet training with Susan Snider at age 17 in Davenport, Iowa. He was accepted into Houston Ballet Academy on full scholarship at 18 and invited to join Houston Ballet as a corps de ballet member at 20. During his seasons with Houston Ballet, he performed a broad classical repertory including favorite roles in Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet and The Nutcracker. Tad also spent three seasons with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre dancing many of the Balanchine classics including Jewels, Theme and Variations, Who Cares? and Ballet Imperial. Tad retired from performing in 2001. Tad focuses on the often mysterious nature of classical ballet technique and attempts to break it into small, logical pieces that students can use to unlock these mysteries for themselves. Having trained almost exclusively at Houston Ballet Academy during the Ben Stevenson era, the stylistic basis for Tad’s technique is the Royal Academy of Dance style. However, Tad’s common sense approach to ballet encourages students to find details from all different styles and create a technique that is based in strong classical fundamentals, but allows the style to conform to the dancer rather than forcing the dancer to conform to the style. Tad brings his expertise to the Ballet at Nolte program, teaching intermediate through advanced Ballet and Pointe, and co-directing and choreographing Nolte's full length annual Nutcracker with Ballet Director, Grace Snider.