Our Faculty
Laura Daugherty
Director
Laura began training at St. Croix Ballet in 1991 with Karla Sweeney and was the first student Sugar Plum Fairy in the Stillwater Nutcracker. She taught at St. Croix Ballet in 1998 and then again in the 2010’s. Laura moved back to the Stillwater area with her family in 2022 as the owner and director of St. Croix Ballet.
In addition to her training at St. Croix Ballet, she studied at Dancers’ Workshop in Jackson Hole, Andaházy School of Classical Ballet, North Carolina School of the Arts, Classical Ballet Ensemble with Carol Roderick, the University of Utah, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, and the Kirov and Harid summer programs. She performed works by George Balanchine, Rudy Van Danzig, Marius Petipa, and Galina Yordanova with Colorado Ballet, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Manitoba Opera, Dance Theatre of Wilmington, St. Paul Ballet, and Metropolitan Ballet. She toured with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet to Asia and Canada.
Laura has taught for over 20 years at schools in Colorado and the Twin Cities, including Canyon Concert Ballet, Minnesota Dance Theatre, St. Paul Ballet, and Ballet Arts. Along with teaching ballet, pointe, repertoire, creative movement, and Progressing Ballet Technique®, Laura designs costumes, choreographs and coaches for Youth American Grand Prix and the Youth International Ballet Competition. Laura has studied ballet pedagogy with master teacher and mentor Carol Roderick, is certified in Progressing Ballet Technique®, and has completed the National Dance Education Organization’s Early Childhood Education course. She studied Moving Through Parkinson’s with Lisa Morgan at Colorado State University.
Siri Drontle
Teacher & Rehearsal Assistant
Siri has been teaching the joy of dance to all ages since 1995. She began her dance training at the age of thirteen at Saint Anthony Park School of Dance where she received training in the Vaganova method of ballet, jazz, character, and sacred dance from teachers and mentors Wilor Bluege, Gabriela Komleva, and Anna Goodrich.
She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Biblical Studies from Trinity Lutheran College, and a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She has performed with Saint Anthony Sacred Dance, Saint Paul City Ballet, Continental Ballet, and Omaha Dance Project. She has performed in tap and musical theater productions, including with Keane Sense of Rhythm.
Siri attended the Creative Dance Center’s Summer Institute and received training in Brain Compatible Dance Education. She has taught at several Twin Cities’ area studios including Lake Harriet Dance Center, Ballare Teatro, Celebrate Dance Academy, St. Paul Ballet, and Fusion Dance Academy. She specializes in teaching pre-schoolers and beginners.
Rosalia Eichten
Teacher
Rosalia Eichten grew up in Stillwater, Minnesota, and has trained with St. Croix Ballet since 2010. She furthered her training through summer intensives with American Ballet Theatre in New York City, Kansas City Ballet, and Ballet Co.Laboratory.
During her years at St. Croix Ballet, Rosalia performed several principal roles, including the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, and the title role in Cinderella. Following her graduation, she began studying Business and Management with a focus in Marketing and Communications at the University of St. Thomas.
Rosalia is thrilled to continue sharing her love of dance by teaching at St. Croix Ballet and inspiring the next generation of dancers.
Rosa Prigan
Teacher
Rosa is a ballet dancer and teacher in the Twin Cities. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, she obtained her primary training at BalletMet Columbus, with summers at Ballet Chicago, Cincinnati Ballet, the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in New York City, and the American Ballet Theatre. Rosa obtained her BFA in Dance Performance from Butler University where she was a recipient of the Director's Award for Choreographic Excellence and the Margaret S. Rosenblith Scholarship. She is a Company Artist with Ballet Co.Laboratory.
Rosa has danced a variety of roles in both classical and contemporary ballets such as Swan Lake, Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, George Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments, as well as the title roles in Zoé Emilie Henrot's Carmen in the 1920's and Genevieve Waterbury's Emily Dickinson: The Untold Verse. She was also honored to create the role of the Cheshire Cat in Ballet Co.Laboratory's Nutcracker in Wonderland.
Rosa has a decade of teaching experience with all ages and skill levels. She is certified in Progressing Ballet Technique© and is a Registered Yoga Teacher through Yoga Alliance. Rosa is passionate about cultivating a strong technical foundation and attention to detail that serves dancers in any style, as well as offstage as people in the world. She has taught at St. Croix Ballet since 2019.