In the Spotlight: Pulse Seniors & Alumni

Two dancers on an outdoor stage wearing burnt orange and black shorts. One dancer kneels and raises her arms toward the other while the other dancer completes a turn. Both are smiling.

We are so proud of how hard our dancers work – keep reading this email to see all the places Pulse dancers go!

Tickets are on sale now for our Spring Celebration, taking place on May 27 & 28 at the Daniel Arts Center at Simon’s Rock.

Did you know 100% of the proceeds from these performances will benefit our Tuition Assistance program?


Graduating Dancers

MALINA JACKSON

Malina Jackson rides a bicycle with tulips in the front basket.

Malina has danced at Pulse since she was four years old. She’s a leader in our community, serving as a peer role model and teaching assistant. Malina lights up every room she walks into, always has a fun fact to share, and is positive, committed, and silly all the while. 

In addition to dancing at Pulse, Malina is an accomplished artist (see the photos in this post)! In the fall, she will attend Tufts University in Boston, where she will pursue a BFA in Art through their School of the Museum of Fine Arts!

Malina’s choreography demonstrates her unique perspective on dance and visual art. She will be performing a self-choreographed solo at our Spring Celebration, centering on themes of time, memory, and the warmth of her experience dancing. 

RUBIELLE NEJAIME

A dancer in a blue jumpsuit jumps, looking down, with her hands thrown above her head.

Even though Rubi performed her graduating solo last year, we have been so lucky to have her continue her training at Pulse. Rubi has been a vital part of the Pulse community as a teaching assistant and class leader, all while working and taking classes at Berkshire Community College.

After years as a member of the Young Choreographers Initiative, Rubi now assists our Young Choreographers Workshop, mentoring the next generation of dance makers and creative movers.

Rubi is kind, dedicated, and has a secret sense of humor. Her smile always brightens any class, and her quiet leadership, as an artist and role model, has shaped us forever. Her choreographic voice shines through her movement.

This summer, Rubi will attend the Bates Dance Festival in the Professional Training Program, and in the fall, she will attend Boston Conservatory at Berklee to pursue a BFA in Contemporary Dance Performance. Rubi’s encore performance during this year’s Spring Celebration will feature a duet she co-choreographed with fellow Pulse alum Laura Coe.


In the News: Pulse Alumni

VINCENT BREWER

Vincent is an alum of Pulse and a professional ballet dancer. After returning to the Berkshires to teach French at Taconic High School, Vincent has been teaching ballet at Pulse and will be a guest performer in Alex Bloomstein’s piece.

LAURA COE

Pulse alum, founding Young Choreographers Initiative member, and graduating Harvard student Laura recently presented her thesis “Falling Together.” Inspired by her ballet background and her newfound love for breakdancing, Laura’s work combined several styles of dance into one immersive evening. Read about Laura’s thesis here.

KATHERINE HUMES

A Pulse alum and a founding member of our Young Choreographers Initiative, Katherine is completing her second year of study at NYU Tisch, where she is earning a BFA in Drama and a BFA in Dramatic Writing. This summer, she will be working backstage at the Pulse performance, assistant directing The Stones at the Great Barrington Public Theatre, and performing at Chesterwood. In the fall, she will be studying abroad in London as a part of a highly selective playwriting program at NYU.

CECILIA KITTROSS

Last year’s graduating senior Cecilia will be interning at Bates Dance Festival this summer. The BDF internship program offers an opportunity to work with professional artists, receive mentorship from staff, participate in classes, performances, and other events, and create lasting relationships with the community of staff, interns, and artists.

MOSCELYNE PARKEHARRISON

This spring, Moscelyne was appointed Associate Artistic Director of Post:ballet in Berkeley, California, where she will continue to serve as Resident Choreographer and Company Artist. In addition, Moscelyne continues her partnership with Pulse through residencies with BODYSONNET, most recently creating a duet in our studios and teaching a partnering workshop.


Summer Intensive Highlight

🤿 Deep Dive! Contemporary Intensive (Ages 17+)

📅Monday to Friday, August 14 – 18 

🕙10am-4pm

with Sayer Mansfield and Sydney McManus

Beginning each day with a somatic warmup and contemporary class, this intensive will lead advanced dancers through improvisation, partnering, and workshop spaces. Sayer and Sydney come together to teach and exchange with young, curious minds. As a pair, they hope to deconstruct our habits of what it means to “work” as a dancer and creator. 

Can we train and create from a place of play and joy? Can we take care while we push our physical and artistic boundaries? These are all questions that are at the core of how they wish to share in this space together. 

Come to the woods for a week of pleasure, play, and expansive physicality!

Berkshire Pulse