Minnesota Ballet Academy
Minnesota Ballet / Minnesota Ballet Academy (inside The Depot, Studio Four), 506 W Michigan St, Duluth, MN 55802
About
Minnesota Ballet Academy offers creative movement, recreational classes, summer camps, and pre-professional training in classical ballet, pointe, jazz, modern dance, tap, and Pilates. The program also offers a Mommy & Me style class, Open Ballet classes at beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels, Creative Movement classes, and ABLE (Adaptive Ballet Lessons for Everyone) classes and summer camps.
• Ages: 3–18 years old
• Schedule: Fall and spring semesters are approximately 15 weeks long, with a winter break over the holidays, and the Open Division offers two 15-week semesters during the school year; Mommy & Me style class is offered in 5-week sessions.
• Price: Tuition: $160 for Open Ballet – Beginner; $160 for Open Ballet – Intermediate; $160 for Open Ballet – Advanced.
Established more than 50 years ago, Minnesota Ballet Academy is described as the premier ballet school in the Northland and is part of Minnesota Ballet, which has provided performances, pre-professional ballet training, and outreach programs for over 55 years. The Academy operates under the direction of Artistic Executive Director Karl von Rabenau, with leadership that includes Ballet Master/Academy Coordinator Jennifer Miller, Finance Manager Maude Dornfeld, Office Manager Ashley Carter, Production Manager Katie Kampfhenkel, and ABLE Program Director and lead instructor Suzie Baer. Faculty are current or former professional dancers, and ABLE instructors are assisted by College of Saint Scholastica physical therapy students.
The ABLE program has provided adaptive ballet classes to children with disabilities for over 30 years and is offered free of charge due to support from the Van Gorden Fund of the Miller-Dwan Foundation. ABLE SF is geared toward students ages 5 through 18 who require assistance in class or a more sensory-friendly environment, and ABLE En Avant is aimed at more experienced movers ages 8 through adult who require minimal physical assistance. A student’s family member or aide is always welcome to sit in the studio during ABLE classes to assist, and the studio for ABLE classes is easily accessible by chair or with a walking aid. By teacher invitation, students in ABLE En Avant may audition for roles in Minnesota Ballet productions such as The Nutcracker, families are invited into the studio at the end of each ABLE semester to see what their dancer has been working on, and at the end of the year ABLE En Avant performs on stage as part of the School of Minnesota Ballet Spring Showcase.
Minnesota Ballet Academy states a mission to inspire appreciation of the art of ballet through performance and education and a vision to make dance accessible to all members of the community, and it states that it advances and celebrates diversity, inclusion, and equity. Class sizes are intentionally kept small, students receive training from faculty who are current or former professional dancers, and Minnesota Ballet Academy welcomes students ages 3 and up of all levels and backgrounds with no prior dance experience necessary. Primary Division students must be potty trained, and a Mommy & Me style class for children 6 months to 3 years old focuses on physical bonding and motor development between parent and baby and teaches parents and caretakers about key stages of infant growth and anatomical development.
Fall/Winter semester begins the week of September 8, 2025, with Ballet 1–3 classes meeting two times per week, Ballet 4–5 classes meeting three times per week, and Upper Division classes meeting three times per week, while Pre-Professional Division students attend Ballet 6 through Ballet 8 classes 4–6 times per week. Registration for the Fall/Winter Open Division session (September 8–January 24) is open, with Open Ballet – Beginner offered on Tuesdays from 5:30–6:45 pm or Sundays from 1:00–2:00 pm, Open Ballet – Intermediate on Tuesdays from 6:45–8:15 pm or Sundays from 2:00–3:15 pm, and Open Ballet – Advanced on Tuesdays from 6:45–8:15 pm or Sundays from 3:15–4:45 pm. Creative Movement classes are offered on Saturdays from 9:15–10:00 am or Tuesdays from 4:00–4:45 pm, and office hours are Monday through Friday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.
Minnesota Ballet Academy notes that the community founded the Ballet, has sustained it for decades, and remains a valued part of Minnesota Ballet. The program receives support from the Minnesota State Arts Board through a grant funded by the arts and cultural heritage fund, and it acknowledges website funding from the Business Leaders Fund of the DSACF. Minnesota Ballet is described as the premier classical ballet company in the Northland, and Minnesota Ballet is celebrating 60 years of dance in Duluth.
Last updated February 21, 2026.
• Ages: 3–18 years old
• Schedule: Fall and spring semesters are approximately 15 weeks long, with a winter break over the holidays, and the Open Division offers two 15-week semesters during the school year; Mommy & Me style class is offered in 5-week sessions.
• Price: Tuition: $160 for Open Ballet – Beginner; $160 for Open Ballet – Intermediate; $160 for Open Ballet – Advanced.
Established more than 50 years ago, Minnesota Ballet Academy is described as the premier ballet school in the Northland and is part of Minnesota Ballet, which has provided performances, pre-professional ballet training, and outreach programs for over 55 years. The Academy operates under the direction of Artistic Executive Director Karl von Rabenau, with leadership that includes Ballet Master/Academy Coordinator Jennifer Miller, Finance Manager Maude Dornfeld, Office Manager Ashley Carter, Production Manager Katie Kampfhenkel, and ABLE Program Director and lead instructor Suzie Baer. Faculty are current or former professional dancers, and ABLE instructors are assisted by College of Saint Scholastica physical therapy students.
The ABLE program has provided adaptive ballet classes to children with disabilities for over 30 years and is offered free of charge due to support from the Van Gorden Fund of the Miller-Dwan Foundation. ABLE SF is geared toward students ages 5 through 18 who require assistance in class or a more sensory-friendly environment, and ABLE En Avant is aimed at more experienced movers ages 8 through adult who require minimal physical assistance. A student’s family member or aide is always welcome to sit in the studio during ABLE classes to assist, and the studio for ABLE classes is easily accessible by chair or with a walking aid. By teacher invitation, students in ABLE En Avant may audition for roles in Minnesota Ballet productions such as The Nutcracker, families are invited into the studio at the end of each ABLE semester to see what their dancer has been working on, and at the end of the year ABLE En Avant performs on stage as part of the School of Minnesota Ballet Spring Showcase.
Minnesota Ballet Academy states a mission to inspire appreciation of the art of ballet through performance and education and a vision to make dance accessible to all members of the community, and it states that it advances and celebrates diversity, inclusion, and equity. Class sizes are intentionally kept small, students receive training from faculty who are current or former professional dancers, and Minnesota Ballet Academy welcomes students ages 3 and up of all levels and backgrounds with no prior dance experience necessary. Primary Division students must be potty trained, and a Mommy & Me style class for children 6 months to 3 years old focuses on physical bonding and motor development between parent and baby and teaches parents and caretakers about key stages of infant growth and anatomical development.
Fall/Winter semester begins the week of September 8, 2025, with Ballet 1–3 classes meeting two times per week, Ballet 4–5 classes meeting three times per week, and Upper Division classes meeting three times per week, while Pre-Professional Division students attend Ballet 6 through Ballet 8 classes 4–6 times per week. Registration for the Fall/Winter Open Division session (September 8–January 24) is open, with Open Ballet – Beginner offered on Tuesdays from 5:30–6:45 pm or Sundays from 1:00–2:00 pm, Open Ballet – Intermediate on Tuesdays from 6:45–8:15 pm or Sundays from 2:00–3:15 pm, and Open Ballet – Advanced on Tuesdays from 6:45–8:15 pm or Sundays from 3:15–4:45 pm. Creative Movement classes are offered on Saturdays from 9:15–10:00 am or Tuesdays from 4:00–4:45 pm, and office hours are Monday through Friday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.
Minnesota Ballet Academy notes that the community founded the Ballet, has sustained it for decades, and remains a valued part of Minnesota Ballet. The program receives support from the Minnesota State Arts Board through a grant funded by the arts and cultural heritage fund, and it acknowledges website funding from the Business Leaders Fund of the DSACF. Minnesota Ballet is described as the premier classical ballet company in the Northland, and Minnesota Ballet is celebrating 60 years of dance in Duluth.
Last updated February 21, 2026.
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