Our Teachers
Gasper's School of Dance mission has been and always will continue to provide the community of the Fargo-Moorhead area with dance and theatrical training of the highest quality in a healthy, nurturing and passionate environment, where you can grow as a performing artist.
Mr Matt Gasper
Matt is choreographer and artistic director of the Fargo-Moorhead Ballet. His contributions to the dance community and the art form throughout his almost thirty-year career include roles as principal dancer, master instructor, choreographer, artistic director. Matt performed with Cleveland San Jose Ballet Company in principal roles for productions of Nutcracker, Rodeo, Coppelia, Swan Lake, and Blue Suede Shoes. Matt then moved to New York City where he studied dance and pursued musical theatre, adding productions like Appleamondo’s Dreams, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Guys and Dolls, West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof to his vita, along with television and film productions Center Stage, The Drew Carey Show, Picture This, and Blue Suede Shoes.
Currently Matt is a master instructor with Gasper’s School of Dance and Performing Arts, North Dakota State University, and Minnesota State University-Moorhead. An ABT-Certified Instructor, Matt has taught around the United States as a guest instructor. Inspired by the dancers he choreographs and directs, Matt works to propel Fargo-Moorhead Ballet to national recognition as its artistic director. Mr. Matt also holds a degree in exercise science and is a certified personal trainer. Thank you to the dancers for always inspiring me.
Mikal Kenfield
Mikal began dancing at the age of four in her hometown of Missoula, MT. She studied at both the Garden City Ballet and the Missoula Dance Academy, and appeared in numerous productions, including Coppelia, La Boutique Fantastique, and The Nutcracker. Upon graduating from high school, Mikal moved to Moorhead to attend Concordia College, receiving her degree in Social Studies Education in 2003. She has been dancing in the Fargo-Moorhead area since 1999 and found a home with the Fargo-Moorhead Ballet in 2006. Her background is largely ballet and jazz based, and she loves taking class to broaden her dance knowledge and technique. Mikal has coached and choreographed for the MSUM Dance Team, and choreographs Concordia's Welcome Show each year. While a member of the FM Ballet, Mikal has performed in Tubby the Tuba, Peter and the Wolf, and in several shows for the Fargo Theater's Classic Film Series.
Chantell Sampson
Chantell has been dancing since the age of four and grew up just northeast of the Twin Cities in North Branch, MN. Her dance background includes training at Jolene’s School of Dance, Dance Tech and Desiree’s Dance Studio; where she studied hip hop, jazz, tap and lyrical ballet, competing in both team and solo competitions. Her senior year, she was asked to choreograph the Summer Hip Hop Camp routines for Desiree’s Dance Studio and she continued teaching the camps for 2 more years when she returned home from college in the summers. Along with studio rehearsals, Chantell was also the captain and head choreographer for her high school Dance Team.
During college, Chantell was the only freshman accepted onto the Concordia College’s Dance Team, where she competed in the UDA National College Dance Championship in Orlando, FL. After her first year in college, she was awarded a head instructor position locally, teaching both jazz, hip hop, and tap for the studio. Expanding horizons even more, Chantell also attended ZUMBA® training in 2012 and received her licenses and certification for instruction. Graduating college with a B.A. in Public Relations Communication with minors in Business and Sociology, Chantell landed a full-time job here in Fargo at Microsoft through Xtreme Consulting as a Web Producer and Event Assistant. After 3 years at Microsoft she left the corporate world (with some encouragement from Matt) and took over office management here at the studio. Each year she also continues to further push her dance education by working with some of the best choreographers from around the country; studying the last 3 summers in Arizona, Las Vegas and Chicago training directly under such names as Geo Hubela, Leslie Scott, Aaron Turner, Anthony Carr and Lizzie Wicks. With over 10 years’ of professional dance instruction and choreography, she is proud to be part of the Gasper’s family!
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Patrick Kasper
POSITIVE MOTION is a mind/body/fitness/team building/ motivation program that Patrick has shared all over the world for the past 15 years. www.positivemotion.net He is an internationally known dancer, singer, choreographer and performer. He has appeared on television, in magazines, commercials and newspapers and heard on radio throughout the world. Patrick began his career in the mid-west with the Red River Dance And Performing Company under the direction of Kathy and Eddie Gasper. Patrick then combined his love for fitness and dance and became a popular instructor/choreographer at Voight Fitness and Dance Center in Los Angeles and went on to present his fitness dance class Positive Motion in Nice, Bahrain, Palm Springs, Paris, New York, Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis,Grand Cayman and many other places. As Fitness Representative for Reebok in Chicago, Patrick choreographed and danced on The Reebok Demo Team that performed at Fitness conventions throughout the world.
Patrick formed his own full service entertainment company called P.M. Productions or Positive Motion in 1993. Under the P.M. Productions umbrella Patrick starred in the television program "Shape Up Chicago" and even appeared on OPRAH! While living in Minneapolis Patrick was the Seasonal Live Entertainment Director and a choreographer at Valleyfair Amusement Park. Patrick also choreographed several industrial and College Productions worked with the Minnesota Vikings cheerleaders, taught at The Firm Fitness Studio and appeared in several commercials and radio programs. Patrick recently has choreographed many musicals all over the country and has shared POSITIVE MOTION with the guests of Celebrity Cruise lines. In addition, he teaches thousands of students with in school dance residencies. Patrick is proud of the training he received from Kathy, Eddie and Matt Gasper that gave him the skills to work at the career he loves and move and groove in POSITIVE MOTION!
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Jennifer Estes
Jennifer performed on national and international stages during her 11 year career. While performing with Joffrey II, The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, The Kansas City Ballet, and Moses Pendleton’s MOMIX Jennifer had the opportunity to perform many roles from corps de ballet to principal. Some of her most cherished roles include Dying Swan, Jerome Robbin’s Afternoon of a Faun, Adele in Feast of Ashes by Alvin Ailey, and The Cactus Wren in MOMIX’s Opus Cactus on both the national and international stages. As for the infamous seasonal favorite, The Nutcracker, Arabian was one of inspiration for her and one that she never tired of performing. After retiring she embarked on another career path with extensive training in osteopathic manipulative therapy and is now pursuing her doctor of physical therapy degree. Now on a different stage, with a similar goal she hopes to inspire through the art of dance and impress upon others joy, perseverance, longevity, and overall well-being.
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Suzanne Spiese
Suzanne has been teaching dance for 19 years in Oakes, ND. Her training has included classes in ballet, tap, jazz, and pointe. After growing up in the Lisbon area, she continued studying dance in Fargo where she danced as a soloist in the Red River Dance Company, (Now Gasper’s School of Dance) under the direction of Kathy and Eddie Gasper. Suzanne has taught ballet, tap, and jazz classes at Moorhead State University, has assisted classes at Trollwood and has choreographed for LaMoure Musical Theatre. After graduation from NDSU, she moved to New York where she continued to study dance for three years. Suzanne currently teaches our Itty Bitty and Pre-Ballet classes, is our fabulous in-house costume designer and seamstress and choreographs for the Oakes Theater Group as well. In recent years, she has worked with such names as David Howard, Kathryn Sullivan, Marcia Dale Weary and Luigi. Suzanne also holds a degree in Family and Consumer Science Education and a degree in Clothing and Textiles as well as a Minnesota teaching certification in Early Childhood Education.
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Kayla Morgan
Kayla began dancing at age 13, following 8 years of competitive gymnastics. She trained in Minot under the instruction of Cedric Tillman. Kayla has travelled the U.S. for serveral competitions and summer intensives. She has trained with esteemed choreographers including Ann Marie Forsythe, David Dorfman, Jacob Mora, Keith Saunders, Christiana Bennett, and Christopher Ruud. Kayla has been an instructor and choreographer in Minot and Grand Forks for the past 7 year and is thrilled to now be a part of the GSDPA family.
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