Fusion Dance Academy Staff

Mikki Johnston

Artistic Director/Teacher – Ms. Mikki has been dancing since she was four years old. She has taken class and studied the Vaganova syllabus at Saint Paul Ballet, as well as participating in dance ministry teams in middle and high school and at the University of Northwestern, St. Paul. In 2018, she studied brain compatible dance education and creative movement technique for all ages at the Creative Dance Center’s Summer Institute for Teachers in Seattle. She holds a master's degree in Instrumental Performance/Violin Pedagogy and has built her own studios from the ground up over the past decade. Her desire for her students is that each one would be grounded in Jesus, develop excellent artistic technique, and be able to integrate both in creating original pieces.

Siri Drontle

Teacher – Ms. Siri has taught in both the classroom and dance studio since 1999. She has also danced professionally, performing with Saint Anthony Sacred Dance, Saint Paul City Ballet, Continental Ballet Company and the Omaha Dance Project in Omaha, Nebraska. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies from Trinity Lutheran College. She has a Master’s of Education from the University of Minnesota, and has completed Montessori training through Hand in Hand’s Child Alive Institute. Recently, she has studied brain compatible dance education and creative movement technique for all ages at the Creative Dance Center’s Summer Institute for Teachers in Seattle. Siri loves to worship the Lord through dance!

Karene Johnston

Founder – Ms. Karene was our Fusion Dance Academy founder, a passionate arts advocate in the Twin Cities throughout her life. She received two ministry certificates from the Master's Institute School of Ministry, a bachelor's degree and certifications in Pre-K through 6th Grade Education, and had years of experience in Biblical training and church leadership. She studied brain compatible dance education and creative movement technique for all ages at the Creative Dance Center’s Summer Institute for Teachers in Seattle and ballet at Saint Paul Ballet. Her greatest passion was to train, equip, and release dancers to bring Christ-centered restoration in the arts. We mourn her loss, as she went to her eternal home in February 2021, after a year and a half battle with cancer. We rejoice in the legacy she left and are honored to continue to see her dream come true of touching dancers’ lives!