ARTISTIC DIRECTION
Andrew Rist: Artistic Director / Choreographer
Andrew’s interests have always been in the areas of teaching, directing & choreography. After dancing professionally for 14 years, Loyce Houlton encouraged Andrew to become Avocational Director of the Minnesota Dance Theater school (1986-87). In 1987, Andrew and his wife Cheryl took steps in a new direction and co-founded the Classical Ballet Academy of Minnesota. In 1990, they co-founded Ballet Minnesota with Andrew as artistic director. Under his direction, Ballet Minnesota has developed a strong season including the Fall Concert, the annual Classic Nutcracker, The Youth Concert Series, The Minnesota Dance Festival (which features the restaging of a classical ballet each year) and the River Songs Summer Series. As a choreographer, Andrew prefers working with original scores. He has created works in collaboration with Robert E Hindel, Charlie Maguire (National Park Service “Singing Ranger”) and the rock group Mock Duck. His choreographic works include Pachelbel, At the Museum, the Classic Nutcracker, Italian Symphony, Black Dog Cafe, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony (choreographed in 2008, received standing ovations to a sold out opening run) and many others. Andrew & Cheryl have two children – Heather and Richard. The newest addition to the Rist family is their granddaughter, Chloe, daughter of Richard and Becky.
In January 2010, Andrew’s first book was published “At The Museum: Adventures of the Ballerina Girls”
Choreographer: Andrew Rist
Cinderella
Beethoven’s 6th Symphony
There Are No Words
Handel’s Messiah
Mozart’s 40th symphony
Cheryl Rist: Classical Restagings and Costume Design
Cheryl, a graduate of the Cornish School of Arts in Seattle, was the recipient of seven Arts Scholarships. Her teachers included Robert Joffrey, Loyce Houlton, Hanya Holm, Flemming Halby and Frank Bourman.
Cheryl began dancing with Sacramento Ballet under the direction of Jean-Paul Comelin (formerly Paris Opera Ballet). She danced as a principal with the Banff Festival, the Minnesota Dance Theater (under the direction of Loyce Houlton) and Ballet Minnesota.
Cheryl is a teacher in the school, and has a special gift for understanding the art of Classical Ballet. She is known for restaging excerpts and complete versions of many of the classic ballets for Ballet Minnesota, including Swan Lake, Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, Les Sylphides, the Flower Festival pas de deux, Coppelia and La Bayadere. In addition to all of this she designs and costumes all the works presented by Ballet Minnesota.
Although Cheryl is a sought-after designer, she concentrates her energies on CBA and Ballet Minnesota.
STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS
School and Community Group Coordinator: Sarah Pelletier
Sarah Pelletier enrolled in the Classical Ballet Academy of Minnesota as a level 1 student in 2000 and graduated the Academy at Level 8 in 2008. She has danced in the classics Ballet Minnesota productions of Swan Lake and Giselle, restaged by Cheryl Rist. She has also danced in other original works by Andrew Rist including: ‘Black Dog Cafe’, ‘Nightmare’, Sorcer’s Apprentice, ‘At The Museum’, Emperor’s New Clothes ‘River Songs, and original version of ‘Nutcracker. Sarah taught ballet and choreographed original dance at Rain Academy of Dance in Hastings receiving an awards for original choreography. She and her sister Rebecca also choreographed a dance in the original production of Amahl.
Executive Director: Kayla Myhran
Kayla Peterson-Myhran is a Minnesota native, who began dancing with Classical Ballet Academy (CBA) in 2004. She attended St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists (SPCPA) 2013-2016. She left CBA in 2016 due to a career ending injury. Since her injury she has been a part of Ballet Minnesota’s productions whether it is in a prop or running around helping with quick changes. Kayla has performed in numerous Ballet Minnesota’s productions. She has performed in many of Andrew Rist’s original works such as The Black Dog Café, River Songs, Morning in Beijing, and Ballet School. Kayla attended University of Minnesota Duluth and graduated with a BA in Communication and History. Kayla currently lives in Delano with her 1 year old daughter. She held the role of Ballet Minnesota’s Marketing Director for the 2023/2024 season. Kayla is incredibly excited to step into the role of Executive Director. She is proud to be part of the Ballet Minnesota organization.