Our Staff
Heather Bensussan
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.
Nikki Zwolski
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.
Deirdre Murnane
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 for six years. She then joined Myron Johnson's Ballet of the Dolls where she danced for six more years and married her husband, Michael Murnane. 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 most recently 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 including A Tale of Two Heroes - Orpheus and Hercules, Enchanted Forest, Cinderella, 4 Reif Dance Company shows and an annual Nutcracker. Deirdre is very happy to join the teaching staff at Hopkins Dance
Kristin Ostebee
Instructor: Contemporary
Kristin fell in love with modern dance in the basement of an arts center in Northfield at the age of 8. She went on to expand her training with ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, and African dance at DanceWorks in Lakeville, Shattuck-St. Mary’s, and on scholarship at Zenon Dance in Minneapolis. After graduating summa cum laude with a B.A. in dance performance from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, she returned to MN where she regularly performed with Out on a Limb Dance Company and Jennifer Glaws’ Jagged Moves as well as for a variety of independent jazz and modern choreographers. In 2012 she accepted a full-time performing role at Walt Disney World and later joined Orlando’s Red Right Return Dance Company as a dancer and choreographer, co-directing their first Fringe Festival performance. Since “retiring” from performing, Kristin has enjoyed exploring the world of theater box office work at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, and the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. 2020 has brought her back to Minnesota, and she is excited to return to the studio with the talented HDC dancers.
Julia Sutton
Ballet adn Pointe Instructor
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 several 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. 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.
Marge Thornton
Executive Director & Owner
Marge grew up studying ballet in Duluth, MN. After leaving dance, costuming became her next career. While working at Children’s Theater Company, she met her husband, Carey Thornton, and they founded Art-Tech Productions, Inc., a full service design and production facility. While raising 4 children, Marge continued to create costumes and props for youth theater and assisted with costumes for Leslie Daly at HDC. After the passing of Leslie, Marge purchased the studio to continue the legacy of excellence in dance training. You will find Marge evenings and weekends at the studio working on admin or costumes. Marge is also a Registered Nurse with experience in adolescent health, early childhood development, and orthopedics.
Liv Thornton
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.
Mia Sanderson
Social Media Intern, Guest Instructor/Choreographer
Mia started dancing at the age of 2, and after moving to Minnesota from California at the age of 7, she started to dance at Hopkins Dance. Mia trained under HDC’s founder, Leslie Daly, for the majority of her time in Minnesota. During Mia’s senior year in high school, she choreographed a piece which was featured in HDC’s spring recital and showcase.
She graduated from HDC in 2021 and moved to South Carolina to pursue both a BA in Dance Performance and Choreography and a BAJMC in Advertising at the University of South Carolina. She has danced under the guidance of choreographers and companies such as Christian Von Howard, Valentina Kozlova, and Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Mia also spent several weeks learning in class from company members of the Bill T Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. She has also choreographed two featured pieces throughout her time at USC.
Mia has come back to teach and choreograph at HDC, in styles ranging from tap to ballet. She loves to choreograph and hopes to continue doing so for HDC for many years to come.
Mary Jo Winjum
Instructor: Ballet, Tap, Lyrical
Mary Jo grew up in Grand Rapids, Minnesota where she started dancing at the age of three. At her hometown studio, the Reif Center, she trained in ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, modern, and contemporary. After graduating high school in 2019, she moved to Minneapolis to attend the University of Minnesota. Throughout college, she danced with her student led club, the Dance Collective, where she was elected to be on the board of directors her senior year. After graduating from the U of M with a BA in Human Physiology, Mary Jo started a job as a medical assistant at a clinic in Burnsville, MN. Missing the dance world, she started substitute teaching at HDC for the 23-24 season. As she works towards a career in medicine, she is thrilled to join the HDC staff and dancers for the upcoming season!
Guest Instructors & Choreographers
Allison Doughty Marquesen - Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Lyrical
Matthew Keefe - Ballet, Pointe
Julia Campbell - Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Creative Movement
Julie Hatlestad - Ballet, Tap, Jazz
Michaelanne DeGrood - Yoga
Kayli Lucas - Ballet, Pointe, Tap, Jazz
Gigi DeGrood - Ballet, Tap