Open Classes

Daet was born and raised in Cuba and graduated from the National School of Ballet in Habana in 1990. His training consisted of his parents Jorge Rodriguez Vede and Clara Diaz along with Fernando Alonso, Alberto Alonso, Laura Alonso, Pablo More, and Lazaro Carreno. Daet's professional career began with Ballet de Camguey where he performed many classical and contemporary principal roles. In 1995, Mr. Rodriguez joined Teatro Centro Arte-Leon Febres Cordero in Ecuador where his Balanchine performance experience added to his professional repertoire. His career extended to many other countries including Cuba, Jamaica, Argentina,, Chile, Martinique, Guadalupe and the United States. In 2001, Daet and his wife Margit opened their own ballet school, Cuballet-Ecuador, where they served over 200 students in a classical and contemporary training program. Daet and Margit have trained numerous students for competitions such as Youth America Grande Prix, CAID in Ecuador, Latin-America Danza in Chile, Danzamerica in Argentina, All Dance International in Ecuador, and American Ballet Compeition in the US. In February of 2015, Daet, Margit, and their two children moved to the United States to set ballets and choreography around the region before joining The Georgia Ballet.

Margit, born in Cuba and trained at the "Escuela Nacional de Ballet" in Havana, learned from esteemed teachers like Ramona de Saa, Laura Alonso, Loipa Araujo, Fernando Alonso, Jorge Vede, Alberto Alonso, and Clara Díaz. She began her career with the "Ballet de Camagüey" in Cuba, performing leading roles in classics like La Fille Mal Gardee, Swan Lake, Coppelia, Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Grand Pas de Paquita, Don Quiote, and Giselle, as well as contemporay works such as Carmen, Tango Episodios, and Vivaldiana. In 1998, Margit joined the "Teatro Centro de Arte - Leon Febres Cordero" ballet company in Ecuador, where she danced in various classic repertories and contemporary pieces. She also performed with the "Danzas Jazz" company in Ecuador in productions like "Cats," "Anita la Huerfanita," and more, working with renowned choreographers. Margit's talent took her to numerous countries in the Americas and the Caribbean, including Cuba, Jamaica, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Canada, the USA, Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Ecuador. In 2010, she received the gold medal and the Medal of Excellence at the "Danzamerica 2010" event in Argentina. Margit ran her own academy, "Cuballet-Ecuador," from 2001 to 2015. Her students achieved success at various competitions in Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, and the USA, including the American Ballet Competition in Boston.

Dr. Caroline Simpkins holds a Ph.D. in Kinesiology with a concentration in Biomechanics. Her award-winning research focuses on the role of ballet in fall prevention and healthy aging and has been published in leading scientific journals, including the Journal of Dance Medicine & Science, Journal of Neurophysiology, and Journal of Biomechanics. In 2025, she received the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science (IADMS) Student Research Award for her work on ballet and fall prevention in older adults. Before pursuing a career in research, Caroline enjoyed a professional ballet career with The Georgia Ballet, dancing many soloist and principal roles in both classical and contemporary works. She has taught ballet and pointe at institutions including Atlanta Ballet, The Georgia Ballet, and North Atlanta Dance Academy, and has coached students for Youth America Grand Prix and Universal Ballet Competition. Caroline is the founder of Ballet Science, an educational platform dedicated to bridging the gap between ballet training and scientific research.

Jonathon Carter started his ballet training with Northwest Florida Ballet Academie at the age of nine under the direction of Todd Eric Allen and Dorothy Lister. At the start of his professional career, Jonathon danced with Atlanta Ballet under the direction of Gennadi Nedvigin, and Cincinnati Ballet under the direction of Victoria Morgan. He then joined Alabama Ballet as a company dancer where he performed principal roles including The Cavalier in Balachine’s The Nutcracker, and Prince Desire in The Sleeping Beauty. In 2020, Jonathon joined American Repertory Ballet under the direction of Ethan Stiefel and Gillian Murphy where he performed principal roles with the company. In 2022, Jonathon joined Dayton Ballet where he performed multiple principal roles including Cavalier in Dayton Ballet’s The Nutcracker, Peter Pan in Septime Weber’s Peter Pan and the principal role in Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s ‘Limoncello.’ As a Guest Artist, Jonathan has performed principal roles with Cuban Classical Ballet, A&A Ballet, Mobile Ballet, Victoria Ballet Theatre, Michigan Ballet Theatre, Inwood Ballet, Andalusia Ballet, Midland Festival Ballet, and American Dance Academy. Jonathon is currently a ballet instructor teaching with The Atlanta Professional Dance Academy. As an instructor, he has taught for many schools and companies across the country including Atlanta Ballet, Alabama Ballet, Northwest Florida Ballet, Arkansas Festival Ballet, and Rock City Dance Center. In 2022, Jonathon joined the board of directors for the ‘Dorothy D. Lister Memorial Scholarship’ program where he has been able to continue Dorothy Lister’s legacy by awarding candidates scholarships to national Summer Intensives.

Kelsey, a Marietta native, received her training from The British Academy of Performing Arts and The Georgia Ballet School. Kelsey spent 11 seasons dancing in The Georgia Ballet’s Professional Company and enjoyed performing principal and soloist roles. Kelsey has over 10 years of teaching experience in ballet and pointe. She has taught students ages 3-19. Kelsey founded Little River Ballet in 2025 and acts as a program provider for the city of Milton, Georgia. She is passionate about teaching the art of classical ballet to all her students. Her goal is to help each student improve and instill a love of dance wherever she is teaching.

Ephraim began his formal training at the age of 8 alongside his brothers in Myrtle Beach, SC. As part of the local youth ballet, he performed multiple roles in annual performances of The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and Coppelia. He competed in 2015 at the Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition, and placing 3rd was invited to compete in their NY finals. Ephraim qualified and competed in 2018 at World Ballet performing variations from Coppelia, Swan Lake and Flower Festival. He placed 5th overall in the Pre-Professional Category. He attended summer training with Nashville Ballet and Kansas City Ballet. At 16, he was accepted and attended the South Carolina Governor’s School for Arts and Humanities for dance. At 17, Ephraim was invited to complete his education at Atlanta Ballet and was offered employment with Atlanta Ballet 2 for the following two seasons. Ephraim was most recently a company member with the Georgia Ballet. With The Georgia Ballet, he has performed roles as the Prince in Cinderella, Nutcracker Prince and Cavalier in The Nutcracker, Oberon in Midsummer Night's Dream, Brom and Ichabod from Sleepy Hollow, White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, Count Dracula from Brom Stroker’s Dracula, Scarecrow in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.