Tess Post began her life-long dance journey at age four in Norfolk, VA, after being taken to see a performance of The Ballet Russe by her grandparents. She received her early training with Gene Hammett, Teresa Martinez, and Perry Brunson and continued her studies in N.Y. with many master teachers including Maria Swoboda, Igor Youskevitch, and Robert Joffrey.

Her professional career included The Metropolitan Opera Ballet, Radio City Music Hall Ballet Company, and Educational TV. After that she returned to Tidewater to teach and perform throughout the region. Tess was instrumental in implementing Liturgical Dance for the Catholic Diocese in Richmond.

Tess moved to the Roanoke Valley with her husband Gene in 1978 and seeing a need for strong classical ballet training, performance, and appreciation in the region, she began to actively promote the art of classical ballet. In 1979, she started the Roanoke Valley Civic Ballet and School with the help of Lou Thomas, wife of then councilman Hampton Thomas. The company soon staged a full-length Nutcracker at the Roanoke Civic Center in collaboration with Radford University Ballet and the Roanoke Symphony. Tess then decided to take some time from ballet to raise her two young sons.

In the fall of 1987, Tess opened The Post School of Ballet in Salem, VA, and this has continued on to become the Star City School of Ballet. Over the years, hundreds of young dancers have been taught and mentored by Ms. Post. Many of these former students have gone on to professional careers in dance or dance-related fields.

In 1990, she founded the Southwest Virginia Ballet Company where excellence in character, training, and performance would be paramount for aspiring young dancers. During her sixteen years as Artistic Director, she set many of the classics for the company including The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Les Sylphides, Graduation Ball, and The Firebird as well as original works including Water Lilies, Ephemeron, Sandprints, and The Snow Maiden. She also choreographed several productions for Opera Roanoke and for the Roanoke Symphony’s Holiday Pops.

In 2006, her husband was offered a position with GE in Schenectady. She then decided to sell her school and move to upstate NY with him. In 2013, GE moved the couple back to the Roanoke Valley. Since returning, she has taught at the SW Virginia Center for Dance and the Star City School of Ballet. Ms. Post continues to advocate for and support strong classical ballet training and performances for students of all ages in the Roanoke Valley.