https://www.hopkinsdance.com/dance-classes daily 0.75 2026-02-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60732219860d0a6278934f2e/b37dfbbf-0803-451f-bd9c-48664e60da05/2025-2026+Class+Schedule.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60732219860d0a6278934f2e/14479a5c-eb37-4493-8ef4-9749f7512096/2026+Summer+Schedule.png https://www.hopkinsdance.com/our-story daily 0.75 2023-09-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60732219860d0a6278934f2e/c712edcf-ef45-47d5-a25d-e2b5233b3ae2/Screen+Shot+2023-09-06+at+11.00.22+AM.png Our Story - Pointe Yourself in a New Direction There is more to dance than competitions and awards. Dance is an expression of oneself. It is an art that requires discipline and hard work, but most of all, passion. We value a safe and supportive environment for our dancers to learn and grow. Our small teacher-to-student ratio allows our instructors to provide excellent technical training. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60732219860d0a6278934f2e/59593d49-66f2-424e-9dfb-159daacd8331/Screen+Shot+2023-07-18+at+8.15.57+AM.png Our Story - Home is Where the Barre is We empower our students to become well-rounded dancers, performers and people. We believe in raising emotionally, mentally, and physically healthy dancers, encouraging them to follow their dreams, as we recognize that every individual is unique. Our promise is to be inclusive, welcoming, and compassionate, this is honoring Leslie J Daly as she held HDC to the highest regard. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60732219860d0a6278934f2e/14fca5a8-40af-4f55-bde9-197b6fb98ce3/Screen+Shot+2023-07-18+at+8.17.11+AM.png Our Story - Any Body can Dance We pride our studio for being family-oriented, accepting, trustworthy, and approachable. Whether its recreational ballet or competitive jazz, HDC has classes that will fit young dancers of any skill level, gender and size. At Hopkins Dance Company, everybody and every body has an opportunity to shine. At Hopkins Dance Company we turn passion into poise. https://www.hopkinsdance.com/our-staff daily 0.75 2026-03-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60732219860d0a6278934f2e/1618173441326-GYSRK69OPMU1FX586B2U/19HYB-8723-W.jpg Staff - Artistic Director of Hopkins Dance Company Youth & Adult Ballet, Creative Movement, Tap, Musical Theatre, Lyrical, Jazz, Leaps & Turns HDC is thrilled to have Heather as an integral part of our family. Heather Mueller Bensussan has been dancing since the age of 4. She realized early on that dance was her passion and relocated to Hopkins Dance Center at the age of 9 to receive more intense training. Throughout her training she has studied ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, lyrical, musical theater and modern. Heather has performed in several shows including Jerry Schafer’s Speakeasy at Turtle Lake Casino, Best Buy Awards Show, Paul Mitchell Hair Show and many more. She has been teaching around the Twin Cities since 2005. In 2007 she became a company member with Out on a Limb Dance Theater Company and School. In 2018 Heather returned to Hopkins Dance Company to teach and is thrilled to be home. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60732219860d0a6278934f2e/d7dd4933-d81d-406e-aacf-cd04e39232fa/IMG_1976.png Staff - Instructor Ballet, Tap, Creative Movement, Lyrical Julia began her dance training at HDC, where she spent 15 years developing a strong, structured foundation and love for dance. She continued dancing in college as a member of the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse Dance Club and expanded her performance experience with two years at Branches Contemporary Dance. For the past four years, she has been part of the HDC teaching staff, where she loves helping dancers grow in both skill and confidence. Julia teaches a range of levels and styles, including creative movement, Level 1 ballet and tap, Level 4 ballet, tap, and jazz, and Level 7 ballet and lyrical. She is passionate about creating a positive, supportive classroom environment where dancers can challenge themselves, express their individuality, and have fun. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60732219860d0a6278934f2e/b299e9b3-6942-4ef9-8acc-b88f70dff6f2/Liv+headshot.jpg Staff - Instructor Ballet, Pointe, Creative Movement Born and raised in Minneapolis Minnesota, Olivia trained at Hopkins Dance Company for 15 years under the direction of Leslie Daly. Olivia’s pre-professional training included summer programs with Milwaukee Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, and the Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet. After graduating in 2018, Olivia continued her dance education at The University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music. Majoring in Ballet Performance, Olivia had the privilege to dance roles in Gerald Arpino’s Birthday Variations, Cinderella, Balanchine’s Serenade, and several other modern pieces. In 2020, Olivia joined Ballet Fantastique as an Apprentice for the 2020-2021 season and continued dancing with Ballet Fantastique as a Company Corps in 2021-2022. During her time in Eugene Oregon, Olivia managed Dancers Closet, a dance wear and shoe store. Her main position at this store was fitting new and experienced dancers for pointe shoes. Olivia has 2 years of professional pointe shoe fitting experience and is excited to continue her work at Grand Jeté. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60732219860d0a6278934f2e/17a90091-d702-4f12-9fb5-a2bf485d3be2/Julia+Sutton.png Staff - Instructor Ballet and Pointe Julia is a native Minnesotan, growing up with the Minnesota Dance Theatre School and then performing with the MDT company. She also performed with South Carolina Ballet, Ballet San Antonio (Texas) and Ballet Michigan. Returning to Minnesota, Julia joined Ballet of the Dolls and danced in many original ballets by its Artistic Director and founder, Myron Johnson. Adding to her skills as a dancer, Julia also pursued acting and has been seen on the Jungle stage in the plays Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf, The Glass Menagerie and Bus Stop. Other credits include Chanhassen Dinner Theater, Minnesota Opera, Loring Theatre, Dancing People Company and Zhauna Franks Dream Channel. Julia is also a 2004 recipient of the McKnight Fellowship for Dancers. Teaching began early in her professional career at MDT and has taught at Summit School of Dance, Larkin Dance Studio, Zenon, Concordia University (St. Paul) and Reif Dance (Grand Rapids MN). As a ballet instructor at Concordia University and the Reif, Julia also had the opportunity to choreograph for several student shows. Julia received her Stott Pilates certification and for Mat and Reformer in 2010 and has taught at local fitness studios. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60732219860d0a6278934f2e/1657154370651-4876GRG6RK61TZ3P8F33/Ostebee+HDC+headshot.jpg Staff - Instructor Contemporary https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60732219860d0a6278934f2e/40bc4b7b-930c-4f91-8819-a276a7e3a705/D.+Murnane.jpg Staff - Instructor Youth & Adult Ballet, Pointe, Progressing Ballet Technique Deirdre 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 Theater 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 from 1984-1989. She then joined Myron Johnson's Ballet of the Dolls from 1989-1996. 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60732219860d0a6278934f2e/7b58d306-1638-46c4-a4a8-116dc5230cb4/NikkiZwolski17915-8x10.jpg Staff - Instructor Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Tap, Musical Theatre Nikki is thrilled to be back for another season at HDC! Nikki grew up dancing in the Twin Cities and went to Oklahoma City University where she received her Bachelor of Performing Arts degree in Dance Performance. She worked at Mystic Lake Casino in Planet Vegas and did some industrials including Best Buy and Carlson. After college, she moved to New York City and trained at both Steps and Broadway Dance Center. After a few months, Nikki was offered a job with Norwegian Cruise Line where she was able to fulfill both her loves of performing and traveling. Nikki continued working with Norwegian, Princess and Celebrity cruises for 10 years as a featured performer and even a magician’s assistant (no, she won’t tell you how they do it) before installing shows for Poet Theatricals. Life brought her back to the Twin Cities where she performed in regional theatre at The Old Log Theater in Excelsior. Credits include: Guys and Dolls (dance captain, hot box girl), The Wedding Singer (Martha/ensemble/dance captain), The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (Taddy Jo, ensemble), and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (ensemble). Nikki has also had the pleasure of working with Collide Theatrical Dance Company: Le Petit Moulin (ensemble) and has performed in multiple shows at the Phipps Center for the Arts in Hudson, WI. Her most recent show was Wrapped Up In Red (Aunt Lillian, lead). She adjudicates for dance competitions around the country and has been teaching for years around the Twin Cities. Nikki is excited to continue sharing her love of the art form with the students at HDC this season. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60732219860d0a6278934f2e/c533d011-74cf-43a4-8e4c-47c4db597b31/196FC6C0-AD76-49A3-802B-57F9E6C5526D-m.jpeg Staff - Social Media Manager Mia is a social media consultant and creative with a background in both advertising and dance. She graduated from the University of South Carolina with degrees in Advertising and Dance Performance & Choreography, and now works as a social media management consultant for small businesses and creatives. She’s collaborated with clients like Madeline Woo and MADDWOO and worked with brands such as SKIMS, Adidas, and Instax to create engaging, brand-aligned content. Alongside her work in social media, Mia has taught and choreographed at HDC, where she grew up dancing. Mia is excited to see what new faces she can bring into the studio at HDC. https://www.hopkinsdance.com/home daily 1.0 2026-03-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60732219860d0a6278934f2e/b9ced91d-c144-4b8b-bf95-8849f0ce4e9b/23220.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60732219860d0a6278934f2e/1c47f421-245f-4729-b05b-e2bcd56a0e38/29523.jpeg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60732219860d0a6278934f2e/55e43f55-f684-4b9c-b8a0-c92eb67c3011/IMG_9304.JPG Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60732219860d0a6278934f2e/2c5ee251-807f-44a2-a5bc-0966493e6532/IMG_9301.JPG Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60732219860d0a6278934f2e/70ed2f7d-1faa-40b0-af49-124b9ec227e2/24901.jpeg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60732219860d0a6278934f2e/a81f799a-1c1a-4182-8204-5951b9242c14/Screen+Shot+2023-06-19+at+9.22.49+AM.png Home 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