Meet the Director

A Note from Our Director

My name is Lissa Curtis. I am a professional ballerina, black belt martial artist, wife and mother, and someone who has survived horrendous sexual assaults. My trauma occurred in 2014 at the hands of my ballet director. I continue to fight for justice in civil court more than five years later.

I dreamed of opening Safe Haven Ballet years before its existence. In my personal journey to heal from sexual violence, I realized that while talk therapy, in or out-patient care, and medication has its place and importance, many survivors do not have the financial means or support from family/friends to even get basic help. I found that movement and artistic based modalities helped me cope with my PTSD just as much, if not more, than the other interventions. Safe Haven Ballet will offer survivors what has never been available in New Hampshire, the opportunity to take free ballet, movement and art based Trauma Sensitive classes.

Safe Haven Ballet will also produce under my direction uplifting ballet based performances in the community, welcoming dancers from across New England and beyond. Among these performances will be the Annual Be BRAVE Gala which has raised more than $60,000 for local New Hampshire Crisis Centers since 2016.

Lissa Curtis

Executive Director

Lissa Curtis

Executive Director

Lissa has been dancing professionally for fifteen years and has trained across New England including programs at Boston Ballet, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and Burklyn Ballet Theatre. She holds a comprehensive certification in classical Pilates from Peak Pilates. In 2013 she graduated with a double major B.S. in Kinesiology: Exercise Science and B.A. in Theatre and Dance from the University of New Hampshire. Under direction of Larry Robertson, former Boston Ballet soloist, Lissa took the leading roles in Paquita, Scenes dan un Salon, and Echoes of the Highlands with the University of NH’s Ballet Company.

She was a principal ballerina with Northeastern Ballet Theatre since 2005 taking on leading roles such as Lucy in Dracula, Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Laurencia in The Pirate and the Gypsy, the Evil Queen in Snow White, and main/title roles in Sleeping Beauty, The Snow Queen, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and The Nutcracker. She is also an accomplished choreographer and has choreographed more than ten full length musicals for Portsmouth Christian Academy.

Through the Miss NH organization Lissa became a spokesperson for her platforms (breast cancer awareness and distracted driving), volunteer, fundraiser, and advocate for many non-profit organizations across NH which won her community service awards, recognition and support from the Governor of NH on multiple occasions; a copy of her work is in the Congressional Record. Currently, Lissa is a sought after advocate, performer, and key note speaker against sexual violence after going public with her story. Be BRAVE is not only her personal mantra, but has become a movement encouraging other survivors to speak out.

A Note from Our Director

Lissa Curtis

Lissa Curtis

Executive Director

Events & Happenings

We are looking for professional artists and apprentices!

Become A Sponsor!

Sign up for Spring Classes

$100,000+

raised for assault survivors since 2016!