About Me …

Jennifer A. Crist (Director, Owner & Instructor) is a professional dance instructor & choreographer in the Twin Cities & West metro. She specializes in musical theatre choreography, studio style dance & competition.

Jennifer is currently the Resident Choreographer at Minnetonka Theatre, where she choreographs performances for the High School Theatre program, the Minnetonka Elementary Theatre program, and the semi-professional community theatre performances. Jen is also a member of the competitive teaching staff at Glen Lake Academy of Dance.  Her choreography at Minnetonka Theatre continually earns Hennepin Theatre Trust Spotlight Awards, and her choreography and her choreography and coaching of competitive studio teams continually wins top places, overall high scores and choreography awards at Regional and National competitions. Jen was formerly on the teaching staff at Dance Endeavors studio in Bloomington from 2008-2018, where she led the competitive team and taught recreational classes.

Jen is a Minnetonka High School graduate, and has danced since the age of 5. She participated in many Minnetonka Theatre productions while in high school, and after graduating from college. While attending the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Jennifer was a member and captain of the UWEC Dance Team, and was a member and choreographer for the UWEC Orchesis Dance Company. As part of the Dance Team community outreach, Jennifer began teaching in local Eau Claire elementary schools, beginning her love for teaching dance. After graduating with a B.A. in Public Relations, and a minor in Theatre Arts, Jen returned to the Twin Cities, began taking class at Ballet Arts Minnesota and Zenon Dance Company, and began teaching for Deanne's Dance Studio in Minnetonka, where she taught for almost 7 years. From 2003-2008, Jennifer was the Head Coach of the Minnetonka High School Dance Team, and began choreographing for high school and community theatre programs throughout the Twin Cities. She has choreographed many Minnetonka Theatre productions under the Artistic Direction of R. Kent Knutson and Trent Boyum, productions at Lyric Arts Company of Anoka, and spent 4 years on the production staff at Anoka High School Theatre.