Support Us
Karla Sweeney founded our school in her basement and built it into a top area studio. Honor her legacy by donating to The Karla Sweeney Foundation for Dance or volunteering with us.
Mz. Karla’s Story & Legacy
Before starting St. Croix Ballet in 1991, Mz. Karla graduated from the University of Utah with a BFA in Ballet. She danced with Ballet West and several companies in the Southwest, performing in The Nutcracker, Les Sylphides, Coppelia, and other major ballet works. She toured the United States and Mexico as the featured dancer with the Disney on Parade Mary Poppins show and then to England and South Africa with other Disney productions. After a 15-year battle with breast cancer she passed away on February 12, 2015.
Mz. Karla left a beautiful legacy of quality ballet and dance to the St. Croix Valley. Since 1999, St. Croix Ballet has maintained The Karla Sweeney Foundation for Dance, a 501(c)3 non-profit affiliate to promote ballet and dance education and performing opportunities for students in the St. Croix Valley and the East Metro region. The nonprofit organization is connected to St. Croix Ballet and helps to raise money to support student scholarships, teacher development, and facility improvements.
We host the annual Evening on Pointe fundraiser at the Grand Banquet Hall in downtown Stillwater. The elegant event includes dinner, a silent auction, and special performances by St. Croix Ballet dancers and gives our community the opportunity to provide needed support for youth and the arts in our region.
Volunteer With Us
Email us to find out how you can support the success of our students and build the arts community in the St. Croix Valley. We appreciate your generosity.