Benton Happel started dancing at the age of three. Benton competed for ten years training in ballet, contemporary, jazz, tap, and hip-hop. As a competitive dancer, he received numerous scholarships and awards for his dancing and worked with many notable commercial choreographers. He then continued his dance training in college at the University of Iowa expanding it into different modern and post-modern styles and shifting into concert dance. There he worked with many faculty members and performed works notably at the Joyce Theatre and the Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theatre in New York City. He graduated from the University of Iowa with a BA in Dance and a BS in Physics in May 2019. 

After graduation, Benton moved back to Minnesota where he primarily focuses on teaching.We are delighted to welcome Benton to our VDP staff!