Students ages 7 to 18 are eligible to register. 

All Upper Division students must enroll for the full year program and can expect to be in each group for two to three years before progressing to the next. The number of training hours increases with progression in level.  

Upper Division tuition is for the full year. A one-time new family fee of $35 is applied at the time of enrollment for new students. Fees and tuition are non-refundable and non-transferable after the first week of classes.

Account must be kept in good standing with full tuition paid by March 15, 2026.

Placement for pointe is made at the discretion of the faculty. New dancers to MDT should consult for level placement before registering for classes. Please send an email to school@mndance.org for this process. A level placement class may be required.

Please email school@mndance.org with inquiries.

• Upper Division tuition is for the full year 
• Account must be kept in good standing with full tuition paid by March 15, 2026.
• Cancellation requests must be made in writing prior to Friday, September 12, 2025; refund will be issued less a $25 fee
• If there are fewer than 8 participants registered, class may be cancelled. An alternative class/level or full refund will be offered depending on the situation.

Lauren Post | Director

Lauren Post 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.

Joanna Mednick | Artistic Associate

Joanna Mednick was born in San Francisco, California, Joanna Mednick began her ballet training at City Ballet School under the direction of Damara Bennett. At age 14, she was awarded a prestigious Coca-Cola Scholarship to train at the American Ballet Theatre School in New York City. Joanna launched her professional career at age 17 when she joined the San Francisco Ballet as an apprentice. A year later, she was promoted to the Corps de Ballet, where she performed for seven seasons, honing her artistry and technical precision. In 2007, Joanna brought her talents to the Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Her exceptional skill and stage presence earned her successive promotions, first to Coryphée and later to Grand Sujet. Over a remarkable 10-year tenure with the company, Joanna performed a diverse repertoire and collaborated with some of the world’s most renowned choreographers. After retiring from her professional career in 2017, Joanna turned her focus to sharing her vast knowledge and experience with the next generation of dancers. Passionate about nurturing young talent, she draws on her rich and varied background to inspire and guide aspiring ballet dancers.

Hannah Benditt | Ballet Technique

Hannah Benditt graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance earning her BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography with a dual emphasis in Ballet and Modern. Originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Hannah began dancing at Ballet Arts Minnesota under the direction of Bonnie Mathis and Marcia Chapman and later Minnesota Dance Theatre School under the direction of Marjorie Thompson and Gloria Govrin.  As a student, Hannah trained at American Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey, Washington Ballet, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and Milwaukee Ballet summer programs. Upon graduating from college Hannah joined Common Thread Contemporary Dance Company, where she performed world premiere works by Jessica Lang; Anonymous and Uri Sands; One. Additionally, Hannah performed with Consuming Kinetics Dance Company in St. Louis, MO during its inaugural season, as a guest dancer with Kansas City Ballet and as an artist with Saint Paul Ballet. 

Hannah continues to enjoy a diverse freelance career; teaching, choreographing and performing with independent artists and choreographers across classical and contemporary genres. She recently acted as choreography associate for Anything Goes at Lakeshore Players, choreography assistant in Theatre Latte Da’s 2024-25 production of Cinderella and choreographer for Lakes Area Music Festivals 2025 production of Hansel and Gretel. 

Hannah is an ABT Certified Teacher in Pre Primary through Level 3 of the ABT National Training Curriculum and is certified in Progressing Ballet Technique. Her teaching perspective emphasizes a reverence for the love, history and expression of classical ballet in combination with a holistic understanding of alignment and expansion through space.

Caroline Bundschuh | Jazz & Ballet Technique

Caroline Bundschuh began her dance training at St. Louis Ballet under the artistic direction of former New York City Ballet principal Gen Horiuchi. At sixteen, she was invited to join the company as a trainee, performing alongside the professional company in productions such as Who Cares, Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker. Caroline continued her education at the University of Utah, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ballet and a Bachelor of Science in Family, Community, and Human Development. She first began teaching at 18 while attending college at a local studio in Salt Lake City, where she got her first opportunities to set and choreograph works for The Nutcracker and other full length ballets. Following her graduation, Caroline joined Roanoke Ballet Theatre under the artistic direction of Rolando Sarabia as a company artist, performing in both featured and corps de ballet roles over two seasons as well as setting her first two professional pieces on the professional company. During that time, Caroline also guested with Krolewski Ballet, a Polish company, in their American tour of Swan Lake. She later moved to Minneapolis to dance with Continental Ballet Company and is now pursuing a career as a freelance artist in the region. She is very excited to continue teaching and sharing her expertise and love of dance with the students at Minnesota Dance Theatre. 

Megan Dunn | Character Dance

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.

Helen Hatch | Ballet Technique

Helen Hatch 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.

Alejandra Iannone | Ballet Technique

Alejandra Iannone's classical ballet training was in the Cecchetti Method. She holds a BFA cum laude  in Dance from Fordham University/The Ailey School and an MA in Philosophy, specializing in Art and Aesthetics, from Temple University. Alejandra also trained at New Haven Ballet, Dance Connecticut, Ballet Chicago, and The School at Jacob's Pillow. With over two decades of teaching experience, Alejandra has taught at The Ailey School, Minnesota Dance Theatre, Saint Paul Ballet, CREO Arts, and as a guest instructor both nationally and internationally. She is an American Ballet Theatre® Affiliate Instructor, certified through Levels 6, 7 & Partnering, and her classes focus on clarity, expressive movement, and anatomical integrity.  Alejandra's performance career spans over 25 years as a freelance artist in New York City and the Twin Cities. She is a 2025 MSAB Creative Individuals Grantee whose recent notable engagements include work with Pillsbury House & Theatre, Teatro del Pueblo, Minnesota Opera, and the Playwrights' Center. She also had the honor of performing in Jennifer Lopez’s Super Bowl LII Halftime Show. Beyond dance, Alejandra is a published author and an award-winning arts and culture speaker. Since 2015, she has co-directed Sparkle Theatricals, a dynamic performing arts company dedicated to producing original, inclusive, and fun theatre experiences in the Twin Cities. Her personal interests include creating visual art, gardening, swimming, and cooking. She has also recently begun learning to tango.

Deirdre Murnane | Ballet Technique

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. 

Kerry Parker | Ballet Technique

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.

Kari Schire | Ballet Technique

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. Kari has performed professionally with Minnesota Dance Theatre, James Sewell Ballet, TU Dance, and American Repertory Ballet. With MDT, Kari 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. Kari 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.

Darrius Strong | Contemporary 

Darrius Strong is a dancer, choreographer, and instructor based in the Twin Cities. He is the founder and Artistic Director of STRONGmovement, a dance company that blends styles such as Hip hop, Ballet, Modern, and West African. STRONGmovement has performed in venues such as the Walker Art Center, and has collaborated with organizations including Schubert Club, Ordway, and Zorongo Flamenco Dance Theater.

Michelle Vagi | Ballet Technique

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.

Sasha Haydn Zitofsky | Upper Division

Sasha Haydn Zitofsky was born in Serov, Russia, and grew up in New Jersey, where he began his dance training. While studying various genres of dance, Sasha appeared in Kids Bop, Toys “R” Us, and various commercial projects. He was in the national tour of the Radio City Rockettes’ Christmas Spectacular. Sasha graduated summa cum laude with a B.F.A. in dance performance from the University of Southern California’s Glorya Kaufman School of Dance under the direction of Jodie Gates. He had the opportunity to work with renowned choreographers like William Forsythe, Matthew Neenan, Barak Marshall, and Dwight Rhoden. Sasha performed at the B12 Dance Festival in Berlin, Germany, appeared in Carolina Ballet’s The Nutcracker, and was a company dancer with Roxey Ballet. Most recently, he was a company dancer with Minnesota Dance Theatre in 2023–2024. In his free time, Sasha likes to be involved in theatre, enjoys writing, and has self-published a poetry book. Sasha is very excited to be back teaching at MDT this year!

Saturday, September 6: First day of Upper Division classes and Primary Division Session I 

Thursday, October 16–Saturday, October 18: MEA Break (No Primary or Upper Division classes)

Friday, October 31:  Halloween (No Primary or Upper Division classes) 

Monday, November 10–Saturday, November 22:  Mandatory Rehearsals for Winter Showcase - full schedule to be released prior to the start of the season; students will be required to attend additional days/classes outside of their regular classes.

Wednesday, November 26–Sunday, November 30: Thanksgiving Break (No Primary or Upper Division classes)

Friday, December 5–Saturday, December 6: Winter Showcase performances - theater TBD

Monday, December 22–Sunday, January 4: Winter Break (No Primary or Upper Division classes) 

Monday, January 5: Regular classes resume

Saturday, January 17: Primary Division Session I ends 

Monday, January 19: Martin Luther King Jr Observance (No Primary or Upper Division classes)

Tuesday, January 20: Primary Division Session II Begins

Monday, March 30–Sunday, April 5: Spring Break (No Primary or Upper Division classes)

Monday, April 6: Regular classes resume

Friday, May 1–Saturday, May 2:  Spring Performance at The O’Shaughnessy at St. Catherine's University

Saturday, May 23: End of Primary Division Session II 

Tuesday, May 26–Friday, May 29: Upper Division Conferences

Dates are subject to change.

Family Observation dates will be added to the calendar once these are set for each session.

Upper Division students are required to follow the dress code for their level. Incoming dancers will receive information upon registration.

Minnesota Dance Theatre offers work study to qualifying families in the form of reduced tuition for hours contributed. If you would like to apply, email school@mndance.org.