FACULTY
Karla Sweeney, Director: Karla graduated from the University of Utah with a BFA in Ballet. She danced with Ballet West and several regional companies in the Southwest, performing in the Nutcracker, Les Sylphides, Coppelia, and others. She then toured the United States and Mexico as the featured dancer with Disney on Parade Mary Poppins show, and then traveled to England and South Africa with other Disney productions. She her husband Brian founded St. Croix Ballet as Stonebridge Ballet in 1991.
Susan Hovey, Co-Director: Susan began teaching at St. Croix Ballet in 2004. She has directed St. Croix Ballet's spring productions of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Coppelia. From 1993-2003, she co-directed a ballet school in Kiel, Germany. Susan has a BFA in dance from Creighton University and has danced professionally with Jo Savino, David and Anna-Marie Holmes, Nevada Dance Theater, and Wuerzerburger Staatstheater in productions of Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Coppelia, and Nutcracker.
Abbie Defiel: Abbie Defiel is an alum of St. Croix Ballet. Having lost interest in dance at a competition studio, Abbie started taking character classes at St. Croix Ballet with Neka Tobak, she then fell in love with ballet and devoted her junior high and high school years to studying the art. She remained involved with St. Croix Ballet throughout her undergraduate years and began teaching regularly in 2009. She continues to teach at St. Croix Ballet primarily younger dancers. Abbie is pursuing her Master’s in Teaching and is an elementary school teacher at a French immersion school. Her goal is to expose the children to ballet in a way that is cognitively/developmentally appropriate to their age while thinking of the long term goals of true mastery of the art.
Laura Daugherty: Laura Daugherty has been teaching for fifteen years and is excited to back at St. Croix Ballet! She is a former student of Ms. Karla's and also taught for her in 1998. Her later training was with the Kirov Academy, Harid Conservatory, North Carolina School of the Arts, Classical Ballet Ensemble, University of Utah, and Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. She has performed in such works as Western Symphony, Aida, The Nutcracker, Paquita, Cupid and Psyche, Romeo and Juliet, and The Golden Bough. Laura has completed five teacher training courses and enjoys the process of developing dancers' technique.
