Lauren Post (School Director) is an accomplished dancer, educator, and arts leader based in Minneapolis. With 16 years as a member of American Ballet Theatre in New York City, she has performed in over 200 productions worldwide, taking on roles from Corps de Ballet to Principal. As the founder and Artistic Director of CoLab Dance, Lauren has commissioned 15 new works and grown the company into a thriving non-profit, significantly increasing its funding and expanding performance opportunities. She is a certified ballet teacher through ABT's National Training Curriculum, has coached and mentored countless students, and served on the negotiating committee for the American Guild of Musical Artists, where she was an elected advocate for the rights and interests of artists. Lauren holds a certification as a personal trainer and completed the Crossover into Business Program at Harvard Business School.

Maddie Blessinger was an MDT company member for two seasons after dancing with Los Angeles Ballet and Ballet Tucson. She grew up in Los Angeles, California and first left home to study at UNC School of the Arts’ High School program under Susan Jaffe. She then trained at School of Oregon Ballet Theater and Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. She attended summer programs at San Francisco Ballet and Royal Ballet School, where she was coached by Darcey Bussell and Irek Mukhemadov, and learned work by Wayne McGregor. Some of her repertory highlights include work by Sir Fredrick Ashton, George Balanchine, August Bournonville, Chieko Imada, Marius Petipa, Colleen Neary and Thordal Christensen. As an MDT Company member, Ms. Blessinger had the pleasure of dancing in Loyce Houlton’s Nutcracker Fantasy and Carmina Burana, and Elayna Waxse’s Polaris and Four Seasons. She also enjoys teaching and choreographing for the students at MDT&S.

Megan Dunn is a dancer, teacher, and arts administrator. As a member of the Colorado Ballet she performed in ballets including Giselle, Swan Lake, and Stars and Stripes. She received much of her training at Ballet Arts Minnesota with Bonnie Mathis and Lirena Branitski, while spending summers at the San Francisco Ballet School, Milwaukee Ballet School, Hartford Ballet and Ballet Austin. Following her dance career, she received a BA in Philosophy from the University of Minnesota, and an MA in Arts Administration from New York University. An accomplished administrator and fundraiser, she spent a decade at Works & Process, the performing arts program at the Guggenheim, and has worked as a fundraising consultant for choreographers such as Pam Tanowitz and Kate Weare. She currently works in development at the Walker Art Center.

Marie Finley grew up dancing at MDT, performing repertoire by Loyce Houlton, George Balanchine, Lise Houlton, and many local choreographers. She earned her BFA in Dance at Alonzo King LINES Ballet in San Francisco. Marie also trained in GYROTONIC ® and GYROKINESIS ® and developed an extensive knowledge of the body’s functions and movements inside the studio and out. After college graduation, she moved to Salt Lake City to dance with SALT2 and was immersed in the realm of contemporary dance. Missing the ballet world and California, she moved to Santa Barbara to dance with State Street Ballet and revisited the classical variations of Don Quixote, Sleeping Beauty, and the beloved Nutcracker.

Helen Hatch (Adult Open Division) is a dancer, choreographer and educator based in Minneapolis. Named as one of Minnesota Monthly’s “10 Artists to Watch” in 2012, Helen was a member of Minnesota Dance Theatre from 2011-2017, dancing an eclectic range of repertoire while also creating her own work. Since then she has worked with various artists in the Twin Cities on projects as a performer, choreographer, and producer. Helen is a graduate of the Ailey/Fordham BFA program where she was awarded Dance Departmental Honors. Her choreography has been presented at the Ailey Citigroup Theater, the 2011 Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out Festival, 2014 MN Fringe Festival, The Southern Theater, throughout Mexico and Guatemala by the Juntos Collective, and commissioned by Minnesota Dance Theatre, Saint Paul Ballet, Mareck Dance, Penelope Freeh, Aveda, and The Cowles Center. Helen is the founder and director of Hatch Dance, whose debut performance Isotope was named a “2018 Top Ten Twin Cities Dance Performance” by the Star Tribune. In 2022, Helen was in residency at University of North Carolina School of the Arts Choreographic Institute. Helen has taught extensively throughout the Twin Cities since 2012.

Benjamin Johnson has taught ballet class for a quarter of a century in the Twin Cities and around Minnesota.  

He finished a two decade performing career with James Sewell Ballet and stepped into teaching what he had learned on stage to students in the dance studio.  He has taught all levels of ballet, and all ages. 

Born and trained in Dallas, Texas, his dancing career included Dayton Ballet, BalletMet Columbus, Milwaukee Ballet, Bay Ballet Theater of Tampa, James Sewell Ballet, and guest appearances with other ballet companies around the Midwest.

He has choreographed works for the Minnesota Fringe Festival,  The Southern Theater, The O'Shaughnessy Theater, Collective Soles Dance Festival in Tampa, Florida, the James Sewell Ballet Choreographic Workshop sponsored by the Jerome Foundation, and for ballet schools in Texas, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

Kendall Kramer Originally from Minnesota, Kendall graduated with a BFA in Dance Performance and a BA in Spanish Language from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX, where she had the privilege of studying with Danny Buraczeski. In Texas, she worked with Leslie Scates of Lower Left, Frame Dance, and Psophonia Dance Company as a company member, where she also set work. 

Since returning to Minneapolis in 2019, she has choreographed and performed genre-diverse works for REM5 VR Studio, Zenon Zone, Fox & Beggar, Future Interstates, “The Heathers” with Barret Music Studio, won Nudie Nubies April 2022, performed for DanceCO, in AU by Hatchdance and Honeyworks, Toward Utopia by Paula Mann, Paradise by Jon Ferguson and Helen Hatch, among other projects.

Kendall has over 10 years teaching experience, including many residencies for Arts-in-Education. She currently teaches at Hot House, Zenon Dance School, and Arts Outreach via The Arena.

Ella Kooyer For Ella, dancing is a path to cultivate research, warmth, and joy. She was born in Mississippi, but moved upriver to Minneapolis to pursue her Dance B.A. from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. There, she studied Ballet, Jazz, Modern, and Contemporary Styles with a myriad of local and international instructors. She graduated in 2024 with a double major in Dance and French Studies (Bonjour!). Ella is fascinated by theatre choreography, accessible dance made not only for the eyes to enjoy, and finding how our quotidien movement manifests. Besides dance, she loves beings of all species, conversing in French, cooking and eating delicious vegetarian food, and is a huge lover of Sci-Fi. 

Justin Leaf is ballet teacher and performance artist originally from Hagerstown, Maryland. Justin was a company member of James Sewell Ballet (2002-2008) and Minnesota Dance Theatre (2008-2014), and they independently danced original works by John Kelly, Morgan Thorson, and George Stamos, among others. Justin’s formative training included summers at the Kirov Academy and School of American Ballet, before spending a year in the Pre-Professional Division the Pacific Northwest Ballet School and then four years at The Juilliard School, graduating with a BFA in Dance Performance in 2001. Since that time, they have taught ballet for various schools and companies, including Ballet Co.Laboratory, Ballet Hispánico, James Sewell Ballet, Minnesota Dance Theatre, and Minnesota Ballet. Their choreography has been presented by Minnesota Dance Theatre, James Sewell Ballet, and Minnesota Orchestra, among others. They were awarded a McKnight Fellowship for Dancers in 2009 and the Zaraspe Prize for Outstanding Choreography in 2001. 

Deirdre Murnane grew up in Los Angeles, CA where she studied ballet from her mother, Eva Ralf and Tania (Riabouchinska) Lichine. After high school, she moved to Minnesota to dance at Minnesota Dance Theatre where she was a member of MDT Company II. After moving back to Los Angeles for a couple of years to study Jazz and teach at Dupree Dance Academy, she moved back to Minneapolis and became a founding member of Zenon Dance Comapany where she danced for six years. She then joined Myron Johnson's Ballet of the Dolls where she danced for six more years. Deirdre has also danced with Minnesota Opera, Sons of Winter Theater, Shawn Mcconneloug and her Orchestra, Children’s Theater Company, and Macy’s Glamorama. Deirdre has taught dance in the Twin Cities since 1984 and yoga since 2009. She has a 500-hour yoga teacher certification from Yoga Center Minneapolis and is certified in Simonson Jazz Dance Technique. Deirdre was the Dance Director for Reif Dance at The Reif Arts Center in Grand Rapids, MN from July 2017 through December 2021 where she had the opportunity to direct and choreograph for several original full length productions. 

Anna Novak grew up dancing at Minnesota Dance Theatre. She was given many opportunities such as performing in Loyce Houlton's Nutcracker Fantasy, attending summer intensives at American Ballet Theatre and Kaatsbaan Ballet, and eventually performing with Minnesota Dance Theatre's company in performances such as Carnival of the Animals. Anna moved to New York City, which led her to perform at regional theatres such as the Guthrie Theater, Fireside Theatre, Arizona Broadway Theatre, Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre, Old Log Theatre, and the MGM Beau Rivage. She made her NYC, Off Broadway debut in the Vital Theatre Company's production of Angelina Ballerina the Musical. Anna returned back to Minnesota and has since danced with the Minnesota Opera (Daughter of the Regiment), Collide Theatrical, and DanceCo. Anna is also an actor and has performed in plays, commercials, as well as being featured on the History Channel in the series I Was There.

Kerry Parker was born and raised in St Paul, MN and has danced with Pacific Northwest Ballet, Vienna State Opera Ballet, and Ballet of the Dolls, as well as being involved in numerous freelance works. She has been teaching all levels of ballet to all ages for nearly thirty years. She currently teaches for James Sewell Ballet, Minnesota Dance Theatre, Center for Performing Arts, and Continental Ballet. Ms. Parker has been certified in the GYROTONIC® method since 2001 and has a private studio in South Minneapolis.

Sally Rousse (Adult Open Division) performs, teaches, choreographs, curates, writes, and advocates dance. She is a two-time recipient of the McKnight Fellowship for Dancers, a Sage Awardee for “Best Performer,” was named “Artist of the Year” (Minneapolis City Pages) and is the mother of two young adults. Rousse’s site-specific works have taken dance off the traditional stage into venues such as the Kwon Tung Pier in Hong Kong and up the tree of a vacant lot and have also been seen in both theatrical and commercial venues such as the Guthrie, Southern, and State Theaters; the Walker Art Center, MASS MoCA, the Cartoon Channel, and Harvard’s American Repertory Theatre. Born in Vermont, Rousse performed as a leading dancer with Ballet Chicago, the Royal Ballet of Flanders, and James Sewell Ballet, the company she co-founded in NYC. She has danced many roles in the classical and Balanchine repertoires, works by Maurice Béjart, Jiri Kylián, and more than 100 new works created on her by contemporary choreographers, branding her “Renegade Ballerina.” As an instructor of classical and contemporary ballet and Zena Rommet Floor-Barre®, Rousse seeks to replace exclusive physical standards with unbiased and somatically sound ones and continues to consider the values of ballet, its lexicon, and history. “Throughout my 50+ years in dance, I have come to feel the outwardly silent, inwardly buzzing life of moving in a studio or onstage as an exquisite, spiritual practice of polishing the soul, the character.”

Kari Schire received her early ballet training in the Cecchetti Method, passing the Elementary through Professional level exams Highly Commended. She furthered her training in MDT’s Performing Arts Division and attended professional workshops with Donald Byrd, Alonzo King, Anouk van Dijk, and Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Ms. Schire has performed professionally with Minnesota Dance Theatre, James Sewell Ballet, TU Dance, and American Repertory Ballet. With MDT, she has performed in works by Loyce Houlton — Knoxville, Summer of 1915, Carmina Burana, and various roles in Loyce Houlton’s Nutcracker Fantasy — as well as works by Lise Houlton, Helen Hatch, Elayna Waxse, Penelope Freeh, Jennifer Hart, Dwight Rhoden, and Uri Sands. Ms. Schire is also a certified STOTT PILATES® Instructor. Since her certification in 2012, she has worked with people from all walks of life, though she particularly enjoys helping dancers build stability, strength, and stamina to meet the challenges required of today’s performing artists.

Yuki Tokuda is a ballet dancer, choreographer and teacher, based in the Twin Cities.  She is originally from Japan and was trained under Mikiko Dei, Hideo Fukagawa, and  Jun Ishii, internationally recognized dancers, teachers and competition judges. She moved to the U.S. in 2000 to continue her training in New York at the Joffrey Ballet School. Ms. Tokuda has danced professionally with USA Ballet, Peoria Ballet,  Metropolitan Ballet, and she was the principal dancer at Continental Ballet for 7 years.  With diverse training in classical, contemporary, modern and jazz, she is an  international guest dancer and collaborator with many companies, including James Sewell Ballet and Minnesota Dance Theatre. While training in New York, Ms. Tokuda’s  instructors included David Howard, John Prinz, Fabrice Herrault, and Michael Vernon.  At Steps on Broadway in New York she was one of the first International Visa Program students. She has, also, trained with Boston Ballet and Connecticut Ballet. She has  performed many principal roles, most notably in: Le Corsaire, Don Quixote Pas de  Deux, Les Sylphides, Pas de Quatre, Agnes de Mille’s Rodeo, Princess Aurora, Lilac  Fairy and Princess Florine in The Sleeping Beauty, the Sugar Plum Fairy and Clara in The Nutcracker, Odette and Odile in Swan Lake, Coppelia, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and the title roles in Romeo and Juliet, and Giselle. She has performed at The Walker Art Center, The Ritz Theater, The State Theatre, The Tek Box, The Ted Mann Concert  Hall, The O’Shaughnessy, The Pantages Theatre, The Intermedia Arts, The Lab Theatre, Peavey Plaza, and the Cowles Center. 

Her choreography was chosen for Choreographer’s Evening at The Walker Arts Center and commissioned by Macalester College, Wayzata Symphony Orchestra, Wooddale  Church, Cerulean Fire, Japan America Society of Minnesota, Saint Paul Conservatory  for Performing Artists and Threads Dance Project. She is a recipient of 2023 McKnight Dancer Fellow, Minnesota State Arts Board and St. Louis Park Arts & Culture Grant.  She is a co-director with Rie Tanaka of Mirage Performing Arts where their mission is envisioning, enriching and enhancing both the cultures of Classical Music and Ballet. 

Ms. Tokuda is also a certified STOTT Pilates Instructor, the owner/designer of YukiTard, a custom dancewear company, and the director of Tokuda Ballet. 

Michelle Vagi received her early training at Continental Ballet Company under Riet Velthuisen and later at the School of Music at Indiana University under Violette Verdy, Glenda Lucena, Jacques Cesbron and Gouping Wang. After receiving her Bachelor's in Ballet Performance and English Literature in 2006, Ms. Vagi joined Ballet Arizona under the artistic directorship of Ib Andersen and studied under Daniel Baudendistel. While at Ballet Arizona, she performed principal roles in August Bournonville's Flower Festival in Genzano, Jerome Robbins' In the Night, Christopher Wheeldon's Polyphonia and Andersen's productions of The Nutcracker (Sugar Plum Fairy), Coppelia, The Sleeping Beauty, A Midsummer Night's Dream and in several of Andersen's original creations. Michelle has also performed soloist roles in Alexei Ratmansky’s Carnival of the Animals, Swan Lake, Napoli, The Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, Coppelia, Giselle, Les Sylphides, Raymonda, and Balanchine's Apollo, Divertimento No. 15, La Valse, The Four Temperaments, La Sonnombula and Serenade. Ms. Vagi has performed in several other Balanchine and classical ballets during her career and has performed with Ballet Arizona at the Kennedy Center and the Joyce Theater.

Jacob Walters first began his ballet training at the age of nine at North Ballet Academy in Rogers, MN under the direction of Breanna Dvorak. He was selected to participate in several of the nation’s best summer intensive programs including Joffrey Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and Ballet West on full merit scholarships. Mr. Walters has performed leading guest soloist roles in Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Swan Lake, and The Nutcracker with several professional companies in the metro area. He has recently completed his Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Minnesota and will be working on his Master's Degree in Systems Engineering through Arizona State University.

School and Open Division Accompanists -    Martha Brown, Marya Hart, Eric Jensen, Tom Linker, Pat Lyles, Joe Strachan