About Turning Pointe Dance Studio

Our Mission

Turning Pointe Dance Studio is a dance facility that seeks to create positive activities for youth, develop motor skills, promote physical fitness and encourage social interaction.

The focus and intent of Turning Pointe Dance Studio is to provide dancers in the metropolitan area the highest quality of dance training for those students who wish to pursue professional dance careers as well as those who simply want to enjoy dance on a recreational level and receive the benefits of exercising the mind and body. With this mission, Turning Pointe aims to provide each of its students with meaningful and enriching skills and an appreciation for the arts in a friendly and disciplined environment.

Our Philosophy

Our philosophy at Turning Pointe Dance Studio is to provide guidance and attention to students of all ages and levels through stability, love, equality, devotion and understanding. TPDS is committed to a strong value system and family atmosphere that has been established in our founding studio for the past 38 years. Our students have fun, feel confident and continue to receive the most complete dance experience in the Eagan area. Our ultimate goal is building students to have strong dance technique, performance abilities, confidence and poise.

Turning Pointe Dance Studio offers a variety of dance options for serious dance students, at the preschool, beginner, intermediate and advanced levels providing a complete dance program that is fun, challenging, and rewarding.

Brittany Myles

Brittany has been dancing for 18 years training and studying all types of dance including jazz, tap, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, west African, modern, ballet, and Pointe styles. Her first experience with modern dance was in middle school which propelled her to travel to Washington D.C. as a 6th grader where she was chosen to dance at the Kennedy Center of Performing Arts.

Brittany attended high school at St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists where she got to work with many different local artists and performers. Her senior year, she had the privilege of going to New York to study at the Alvin Ailey Dance Center. Brittany has been a competitive dancer since the age of nine and loves competitions! Her favorite kind of dance to compete with is tap and jazz, but she is experienced in all types of dance. Brittany has competed at both national and regional competitions. Currently, Brittany is attending the University of Wisconsin-Stout where she is studying Retail Merchandising and Management.

Brittany is excited to be choreographing and teaching at Turning Pointe Dance Studio and can’t wait for the year to begin!

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Courtney VanDerHeyden

Courtney VanDerHeyden has been a devoted instructor at her home studio for over 15 years, working with dancers of all ages and skill levels. Her teaching style blends strong technique with creativity, encouraging students to push boundaries while staying true to their love of dance. A former dance team coach of 7 years, Courtney brings leadership and discipline into the studio, helping dancers grow both as individuals and teammates. Her choreography has earned multiple awards, and countless top placements. Whether in class, on stage, or at competitions, Courtney’s goal is to build confident, expressive dancers who feel seen and supported.

Deane Tasler

Deane’s first love was musical theatre, and he has appeared on the main stage at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres in Anything Goes; Disney’s Beauty and the Beast; as Bernardo in West Side Story; Singin’ in the Rain; 42nd Street; and Swing. He also had the great pleasure of joining the Metropolitan Ballet’s productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Agnes DeMille’s Rodeo at the Historic State Theatre. He continues in musical theatre as a choreographer/director for Ashland Productions and has choreographed for Maple Grove Senior high, where his work has been recognized at the annual Spotlight Awards.

Colton Myles

Colton entered the competition dance world at the age of 4. While growing up he has represented Dyan's World of Dance, as well as Turning Pointe, at numerous regional and national competitions. In 2019 he received a B.S. degree in Exercise Science from the University of Sioux Falls in South Dakota. While living in South Dakota he had the opportunity to work with various levels of athletes ranging from elementary to professional. He also gathered experience in group fitness instruction and personal training for the general population.

This is Colton's first year back at the studio, and he is excited to offer his unique experience in both dance and strength and conditioning to our dancers!

Abbey Face

Abbey is a versatile and dynamic dance instructor with performance credits including Borealis Dance Theatre, Minnesota Timberwolves 612 Crew, and Mixtape Dance. She began her dance journey at the age of 5, and found her passion for choreography and teaching in her teenage years. Trained in all genres, Abbey brings a well-rounded approach to teaching, with a special passion for Hip-Hop.

Abbey started teaching at Turning Pointe in 2016, and she is so excited to continue sharing her love for dance with your dancers!

Kylie Crawford

Kylie Crawford has been involved in dance for over 10 years. She has danced both competitively and in the modern world throughout her career. She has experience teaching at many different studios within the Twin Cities, and is Acrobatic Arts certified. Kylie has taught all styles throughout her career, from ballet to hip hop, as well as all ages, from 18 months - 18 years.

Throughout her work, Kylie has grown a passion for teaching young artists the importance of expressing oneself through movement. She takes pride in building the next generation of dancers, and strives to instill a love that will continue with her students well into adulthood.

Jocelyn Braudt

Jocelyn studied the RAD Ballet Syllabus with Neva McCrimmon. At 17, she toured the country with the RAD, as a Presenter for their Dance Education Syllabus Teacher Training Intensives. Additionally, Jocelyn studied at American Ballet Theatre, New Jersey School of Ballet, and with David Howard. In the early 80's Jocelyn performed with the Shore Ballet Company. She is a graduate of Springfield College MA., where she studied Therapeutic Recreation, Child Development, and was the Ballet Instructor for the HPERD Department on campus.

Her Certifications in Therapeutic Recreation, and as a Child Life Specialist led her to start programs in Adaptive Dance, beginning in 1986. (Some of the first Adaptive Dance Programs in our nation.) As a Therapist, Jocelyn has worked at The Children’s Hospital of NJ, Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center, and as a Cognitive Therapist for UMDNJ. As a Dancer, she has studied Tap, Jazz and Musical Theatre, taught for the Gifted and Talented Artists Program in NJ., and has choreographed for High School Band Fronts, College Show Choirs, Gymnastic Teams, and Regional and Community Theaters.

She moved to MN with her family in the mid 90’s, and started River Valley Dance Academy, where she was the Owner/Director, and an Instructor for 25 years. Some of the Ballet’s Jocelyn has set include: Giselle, Swan Lake, Coppelia, La Fille Mal Garde, the Snow Queen, Nutcracker, and the Christmas Angel. In 2024 Jocelyn retired from 43 years of teaching dance, sold River Valley Dance Academy to one of the dancers she trained, and began spending her days caring for her granddaughter. In retirement, Jocelyn is excited to share her ballet technique training with the students at Turning Pointe Studio.

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Michelle Banbury

Michelle began her dancing career at age 3 with tap and ballet. She trained at Larkin Dance Studio from ages 11-18 and moved to competitive dance winning many high-point and over-all awards in jazz, tap, ballet, hip-hop and musical theatre. This included both regional and national competitions.

She continued study of dance throughout the United States and overseas, ie Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Amsterdam. She has worked with Vanessa Williams in a Walt Disney Production and appeared on Broadway in the new Gershwin musical “Crazy for You”.

She has been teaching professionally for 23 years, including several years at Larkin Dance as well as other studios in the Twin Cities (Genesis Studio, Turning Pointe and Jete Dance Center). Her teaching ages ranging from 5 - adult. Accomplishments include many awards in the area of high-score and over-alls. My strengths are contemporary jazz and lyrical, hip-hop and musical theatre. I also teach jazz, tap, ballet and contemporary. Additionally, have won numerous awards for entertainment and choreography.

Many of her trained dancers have gone on to cheerlead for the Timberwolves and Vikings, are on the U of M dance team, appear on Broadway and Walt Disney World. One has also gone on to be Miss Teen Minnesota. Outside industrial work includes travelling with Rocco Altobelli and dancing for Polaris. Past work also includes choreography for numerous studios as well as Lori Line’s Christmas Shows.

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Olivia

Olivia is a versatile and passionate dancer with a strong foundation in competitive and concert dance. She began her training at Turning Pointe dance, where she developed technical excellence and performance artistry through years of competitive dance. She further honed her skills at the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists (SPCPA), gaining exposure to a variety of styles and performance opportunities.

Olivia, holds a BFA in Dance from Minnesota State University, Mankato, where she deepened her understanding of choreography, technique, and dance theory. Her training spans a wide range of styles including contemporary, jazz, ballet, modern, and more.

Olivia brings enthusiasm, dedication, and a deep love for dance to every class. She is excited to share her knowledge and creativity with her students and aims to foster a supportive, challenging, and inspiring environment for dancers of all levels.

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