Descendants of politicians; attendees of political, corporate, and art gatherings; hostesses of royalty, politicians, diplomats, presidents and vice-presidents — Balissande is a team of professionals, the finest in the fields of etiquette, travel, fashion, art, savoir-faire and savoir-vivre. Their varied experiences and curation skills bring Balissande Finishing School high levels of sophistication and insight. Together they work to teach the importance of social etiquette and multi-cultural understanding. They also work to prepare students for their roles as professionals, role models and leaders.
Balissande Finishing School was founded by the daughter of a Minister of the Interior and President of the National Assembly. From childhood, she was taught by her mother and teachers les savoirs needed to socialize as the daughter of a high-ranking politician who met royalty, presidents, ministers, diplomats, deputies and congressmen from around the world during his political career.
She grew up attending private school and was briefly enrolled in a boarding school in France before relocating to the United States where she attended university and obtained her Ph.D.
After she graduated, she traveled around the US, Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean. She did multiple road trips — from genteel Paris to the Promenade de la Croisette in Cannes to the charming cobblestone streets of Rome. She studied 6 languages, and a world of arts and dances.
In the 1990s, she decided to share her love for life and her passion for beauty. She began by teaching deportment and les savoirs to directors and administrators in the hospital industry. She became an art collector and seller. Two decades later, she opened Balissande Finishing School to continue her role as teacher and mentor, online.
Our founder’s goal has always been to discover the finer things of life and master the art of living… la dolce vita.
“All the paintings and architecture, all the sounds and movement, all the palm trees and blue skies, the sunrises and sunsets, all my explorations of distant lands… everything that I saw, all that I admired, all that I felt, made me who I am.”
BALISSANDE FINISHING SCHOOL 