BETTINA MONTANO
Founder/Artistic Director
Modern Dance Director

Bettina holds a BFA in Dance, Cum Laude, from Temple University.

In Philadelphia, she performed professionally with Philadelphia’s Sybil Dance Company, Artistic Director Eva Gholson, and Dance Conduit, Artistic Director Ann Vachon, for the reconstruction of Doris Humphrey’s “Dawn in New York.”

In the Berkshires, Bettina performed with choreographer Dawn Lane, Artistic Director Community Access to the Arts, as an independent choreographer and as a member of choreographer/film maker Laurie McLeod’s Victory Girl Productions with whom she performed extensively throughout the Berkshires, New York, and abroad.

Bettina’s dance training began with her mother Christa Montano, a student of renowned dancers Mary Wigman, Herald Kreuzberg, Martha Graham, José Limón and Louis Horst. Her early training continued under the direction of Truda Kashman, Martha Graham technique with Debra Zall, with various teaching artists at the Murray Louis and Alwin Nicolais Dance Lab and later with Educators/Choreographers Eva Gholson, Ann Vachon, Hellmut Gottschild and Marilyn Middleton Sylla. Bettina’s passionate belief in accessible dance education led her to teaching and inspired the creation of The Flowering Child Performing Arts Program in 1995 — which ultimately evolved into Berkshire Pulse in 2005. Bettina has been teaching classes in modern dance for students of all ages and levels throughout her 25-year directorship of the organization. See REVIEW, PICS & VIDEO

TOM MASTERS
Dance for Boys
Program Director
Musical Theatre Dance Program Director
Summer Intensive:
Contemporary & Dance Making Adv Beginner/Intermediate Intensive

Tom Masters holds an MS in Special Education from The City College of New York and a BS in elementary education with a concentration in dance and movement for elementary school children. As a performer he has danced with The Park Avenue Dance Company in Rochester, NY, The Alvin Ailey Student Ensemble in New York City, and with various musical theatre productions both nationally and internationally. He has taught dance and creative movement since 1990. Most recently he was on staff at the Center for Kinesthetic Movement in NYC as an educational tutor using dance to teach literacy, and using movement to increase the attention span of students with ADHD. Tom has been with Berkshire Pulse since 2009 teaching dance for boys, Humphrey-Weidman repertory, tap, and Broadway jazz. See REVIEW, PICS & VIDEO

SUSAN QUINN
Young Choreographers Program Director
Dance Making and Modern dance

Susan Quinn is a teacher, choreographer and performing artist. She is currently enjoying directing the Young Choreographers Initiative at Berkshire Pulse with a focus on Movement and Activism and how choreography shows up in our everyday lives. She co-founded and co-directed Choreo Collective for seven years, a laboratory for choreographers to engage in the creative process and produce new work in the Triangle area of North Carolina. She also developed the Choreographers’ Workshop Series to showcase and provide feedback for artists across NC through the North Carolina Dance Alliance. Her choreography has been produced in a variety of venues, including the American Dance Festival and Dixon Place. She directed the dance department at Cardinal Gibbons High School and has been a guest choreographer in high schools and colleges. She has studied composition with Donald McKayle, Marlies Yearby, Neil Greenberg, Faye Driscoll and David Dorfman. She studied technique privately with master teacher Sarah Neece and Alexander Technique with Anne-René Petrarca. Susan has also performed with many dance companies and choreographers, including Thread Dance Theater, HMK Dance, Sarah Daunt, Insurgo Stage Project, Sara Smith, Carol Finley/The Postcards Project, Isabel Gotzowsky, Stephanie Landouer, Caroline Williford, Beth Fath and Five Chick Posse Productions. (Photo: Skye Schmidt)

SHANA PARKEHARRISON
Ballet Program Coordinator

Shana ParkeHarrison grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She trained with Moscelyne Larkin and Roman Jasinski and was a member of Tulsa Ballet. During summer intensives she received additional training with dancers including, Yvonne Chouteau, Rosella Hightower, Marjorie Tallchief and Georgina Parkinson. While pursuing a BFA in Art she continued to dance and perform in productions including Oklahoma!.

Shana will act as coordinator of the Pulse ballet program, working with the Pulse ballet faculty toward commonality in our ballet/pointe curriculum, as well as teacher of a newly added Ballet 3 class for the Performing Arts program.

Learn more about Shana and all of the members of our Board of Directors.

JOANNE BOCKEMUEHL-JACKSON
Flamenco
Intro to Flamenco
Summer Intensive: Dance Beyond Borders

Joanne Bockemuehl-Jackson was born in Germany, where she began her flamenco dance studies at the age of 19. Since then, while working as a nurse and as a cranio sacral therapist, she has continued to dance and study the art of Flamenco for more than 20 years. Falling in love with Flamenco, Joanne went to Madrid to study at the traditional Flamenco School “Amor de Dios.” She is a Jacobs Pillow alumnus of the 2019 Flamenco and Spanish Dance program and was recently accepted to the Artist Development Program at Flamenco Vivo in New York City.

Joanne is the founder of the Flamenco Dance program at Berkshire Pulse where she has been introducing youth and adult students of all ages to the experience of Flamenco dance for more than six years. See REVIEW PICS & VIDEO

KATHY AND DAVID CROWE
Tai Chi

Berkshire Tai Chi is a traditional, lineage school. Sifu David Crowe and Sifu Kathy Crowe, with 18 years experience, are certified lineage tai chi and qi gong instructors under the Kuoshu Federation of the Republic of China. They trained under Master Eric Sbarge, a member of the United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame, at The Hall of the Peaceful Dragon In Charlotte, NC. Outside of teaching tai chi, Sifus David and Kathy lead busy and creative lives. Sifu David is a composer and teaching artist, whose works have been performed across the country. Read more and hear samples of his music at www.DavidCroweMusic.com. Sifu Kathy is a web and graphic designer, including the design of websites, logos, brochures, etc. You can see samples of her work at www.KathyCrowe.com.

RYOKO KUDO
Modern, Limón Technique, Ballet, & Pilates

Ryoko Kudo MFA, has worked with the Limón Dance Company since 2001 and has had the privilege to dance works by world-renowned choreographers such as Graham, Taylor, Lubovich, Kylian, Linke, Koner, McKayle, multiple works by Limón and Humphrey. Kudo is also an aerialist with Airealistic and has performed at the Beijing Olympics, Hangzhou, China, Bregenz Opera, and in the show Breaking Surface in NYC. She teaches and restages Limón works and has taught at various institutions such as Marymount Manhattan College, Canadian Children’s Dance Theater (Canada), Congresso Brasileiro de Dance Moderna (Brazil), Arte Centro (Guatemala), Bratislava Academy of Dance (Slovakia), ArtEz (Holland), Puglia Talenti (Italy), Casa de la Cultura (Mexico), and schools in the U.S. such as SUNY Purchase, Point Park College, Bryn Mawr, Mont Clair, University of the Arts, Drexel University. Kudo is also a certified Pilates instructor (read more…) since 2008. Kudo received her training from Emerson College, The Boston Conservatory, Ailey School, Graham School, Limón Institute, and Kane School of Core Integration.

Ryoko’s classes explore movement based on the principles of the Limón Technique, which incorporates the effect of gravity and use of breath as an initiation of movement. We explore coordinating breath and weight in terms of falling, recovering, and suspending. The classes also address use of space, time and energy with clear intention and musicality for greater dynamic range of movement and richer coloring of human expression.

(photo credit: Nilaya Sabni)

ERIN NAYLOR
Yoga
Zumba
Tumbling

Erin has been an avid dancer since she could walk. Throughout her youth she studied ballet, Modern, and Jazz as well as Hip Hop and Afro-Caribbean, being one of the first graduates of the Flower Child Performing Arts Program that became Berkshire Pulse. As a young adult she began teaching gymnastics and ballet to children at Berkshire South Regional Community Center and Berkshire Country Day School. In 2013 and 2014 Erin studied and completed Ashaya Yoga Teacher Training with Todd Norian, and in 2017 she completed Zumba Teacher Training. Erin enjoys helping people become better versions of themselves through all kinds of movement!

RICK SHRUM
World Music Drumming
Summer Intensive: Dance Beyond Borders

Rick Schrum has been drumming since age 3 when his dad (also a drummer) gave him his first drumsticks and began teaching him classical percussion. Rick played in school orchestras, concerts stage bands, drum and bugle ensembles, percussion ensembles and rock bands. He credits Arthur Hull, from Santa Cruz, as his primary teacher of African drumming. He began studying Afro-Cuban drumming in his 20s and has been playing and teaching this art for the last 30 years. In the 90s Rick played for Dance Kinetics (now called Yoga Dance) at Kripalu. Having been a Waldorf teacher for almost 20 years Rick has taught drumming to all of his classes incorporating rhythm into the learning process. He has played for Afro-Caribbean dance classes at the Berkshire Pulse for the last six years. Rick has led drum circles at Mountainside drug alcohol rehab center. Having a Masters degree in neurobiology Rick has been a registered nurse from 2010 to present.

TOM TRUSS
Moving Life Stories Coordinator
Creative Dance
Summer Intensive: Dance Beyond Borders

Tom Truss is a performing artist and educator who has had a thirty-year career as a dancer, actor, choreographer and director. Tom has created with and taught all ages and abilities from children, firefighters, and inmates to teens, older adults, and professional actors and dancers. He is certified to teach the Alexander Technique, has a Masters of Fine Art in choreography from the University of Iowa, a Masters of Fine Art in Acting from the University of Texas and graduated from the College of Wooster with a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance. In between all that he has been teaching for Flying Cloud Institute since the 90s, toured with the Liz Lerman/Dance Exchange for four years, had his own company for ten years, was a community artist at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival for five years (with residencies at the majority of south county Berkshire schools) and taught at American Dance Festival for seven years. Currently, he freelances in the Berkshires, has a podcast with his nephew called Ask You Gay Uncle, teaches the Alexander Technique from his home and most recently almost directed The Drowsy Chaperone at Mt Everett High School (the pandemic quarantine happened two weeks before the show was to open).

KRISTINE WATERMAN
Creative Dance/Pre-Ballet
Tap for Tinies
Beginners’ Tap
Dance Expressions 1 and 2

Kristine has been teaching dance and theater arts for over 20 years in various settings, for both children and adults. She served as the Head of the Dance Department and Artistic Director at Berkshire School in Sheffield Ma. and piloted a new dance program at Miss Halls School in Pittsfield, MA.
Kristine also teaches dance and drama in grant-funded residencies, choreographs for musical theater productions and teaches after-school enrichment programs throughout the Berkshires. As a preschool teacher, Kristine has designed and taught a creative arts program, in NYC and the Berkshires, for kindergarten and preschool age children. She taught dance and theater, and was director of a dance troupe, for young adults with mental and physical disabilities in New York State.  Kristine has performed both regionally and nationally and presently performs locally throughout the Berkshires. Kristine Waterman holds a B.A. in Theater and Dance from the City University of New York and graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC. Kristine is excited about being a returning teaching artist at Pulse!

MICHELINE WEILER
Ballet Intermediate+
Ballet Beginners+
Summer Intensive: Ballet Intensive Advanced Beginners/Intermediate

Ballet was Micheline’s first love and was the early focus of her training. She studied Vagonova method and trained with the Sacramento Ballet in California, and later with the Washington Ballet in D.C. She also had the opportunity of brief intensive studies with the San Francisco Ballet, Hartford Ballet, and Boston Ballet companies. Micheline had the privilege of performing in countless productions – in the corps, as a featured dancer, and as a solo artist. She later switched her focus to the Cecchetti method, while also learning more of jazz, contemporary, tap, hip-hop, and even some ballroom styles. Micheline had always been a singer and began pursuing theatre as well. She then received her BFA in musical theatre from Syracuse University and moved to New York City with her husband, to pursue a career as a performing artist.

As Micheline began teaching ballet, she discovered that she appreciated both the opportunity to inspire young beginners, as well as a real passion and gift for developing more advanced dancers into artists. In 2009 she became certified with the state of Massachusetts to teach both theatre and dance in the school system. She then took the opportunity to choreograph high school musicals – to continue to work with young artists on the cusp of their careers.

Although Micheline’s life as a dancer has taken a back seat for the last several years as she became a mother to her two beautiful daughters, she has continued as a teacher, choreographer, and mentor. Micheline is thrilled now to be making a return to her first love and teaching ballet for the Pulse!

SAYER MANSFIELD
Guest Teacher

Sayer Mansfield is currently dancing with Compagnie Marie Chouinard in Montreal, Quebec. She holds a BFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Sayer worked full time with Pilobolus Dance Theater for 3 years and has performed with Compañía Sharon Fridman (Madrid, Spain), Boston Dance Theater and The Indah Walsh Dance Company. Sayer has been an adjunct faculty member and guest artist at Jacob’s Pillow, Phillips Academy Andover and Roger Williams University. Sayer has worked extensively across mediums including film, television, music videos and print. Sayer received her classical training from The Royal Academy of Dance, Boston Ballet and Joffrey Ballet and has studied at Laban in London, UK and The Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance in Austria. More recently, Sayer has begun an independent investigation of performance, choreography, and creation – collaborating with inspiring artists of her generation, Sayer has presented work in New York City and The Berkshires.

TARCISIO RAMOS DOS SANTOS
Introduction to Capoeira
Dance Beyond Borders

Tarcisio is a Brazilian musician, writer, and Direct Support Professional. He’s been sharing his culture since the first year he arrived here in the USA and in the last 8 years Capoeira has been one of the Brazilian arts that he is the most excited to practice and share. He is proud to share with Berkshire Pulse this unique Brazilian full body expressive and fun art form using music, rhythm, movement and ornate with the Brazilian heritage.

FIONA SCRUGGS

Creative Dance
Ballet for Beginners
Ballet 1

Fiona Scruggs is a 2019 summa cum laude graduate of Radford University in Dance Education. She holds a Virginia PreK-12 Professional Teaching License for Dance Arts in public schools. Fiona has received several fellowships and grants to conduct research in France and the USA on the life, career and legacy of Josephine Baker, and has presented at numerous regional conferences. She has trained at the Salzburg International Ballet Academy in Austria, Bates Dance Festival, and NextGeneration Ballet, and has served on the dance staff of the Tennessee Governor’s School for theArts and Radford University Ballet Youth for three years. Fiona is currently working at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival as the School Programs Coordinator.

Born in Tübingen, Germany, Fiona moved to the USA as a child and has since continued dancing.She advocates and shares her passion for the arts’ abilities to influence positive changes in people’s lives through research, education, choreography, and performance. Fiona is excited to be a part of the Pulse community and share her love of dance in the Berkshires. To see more of Fiona’s work, visit fionascruggs.com

VERONICA BONE

Foundations
Modern 2
Summer Intensive: Contemporary & Dance Making Intensive Adv Beginner/Intermediate

Program Coordinator

Veronica Bone is a Pittsfield-based choreographer, teacher, and performer. After achieving her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Contemporary Dance at Indiana University, Veronica moved to Western Massachusetts to work at Jacobs Pillow. She then worked at Berkshire Theatre Group as the Fundraising and Outreach Associate. While there, Veronica served as an artistic associate for the Actor Intern Program. She taught daily dance classes and choreographed site-specific performances. She now teaches at Berkshire Pulse and works on artistic projects with local dance artists.

ISADORA WOLFE
Summer Intensive:
Ballet Intensive Intermediate/Advanced,
Contemporary & Dance-Making Intensive Intermediate/Advanced

Isadora Wolfe is from Lowell, Massachusetts. She is the Resident Director of Punchdrunk’s New York City production of Sleep No More, and has been a cast member since 2011. She was a founding member of johannes wieland and danced under Wieland’s direction at Staatstheater Kassel (Germany) in 2007, 2014 and 2015. Isadora has performed nationally and internationally with choreographers such as Gerald Casel, Martha Clarke (Garden of Earthly Delights and Angel Reapers original cast), Mark Dendy, Fiona Marcotty, Neta Pulvermacher, Tami Stronach and Muna Tseng. Her theater credits include the acclaimed production of The Hairy Ape (dir. Richard Jones, Park Avenue Armory) and Peter Pan (Peter, Berkshire Theatre Group). Isadora has been a guest teacher, movement director and rehearsal director at various universities and festivals, and is currently adjunct faculty at The Juilliard School.

JOSEPH POULSON
Contemporary
Summer Intensive:
Contemporary & Dance-Making Intensive Intermediate/Advanced

Joseph Poulson is originally from Philadelphia, PA. He is a New York City based artist who has received undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Iowa and Bennington College respectively. Currently a rehearsal director and performer in Punchdrunk’s New York City Production of Sleep No More, between 2000 and 2020 he has toured and taught nationally and internationally with Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, Susan Marshall and Company, David Dorfman Dance, Mark Morris Dance Group, Creach Co., Bill Young and Colleen Thomas and Dancers, Jeanine Durning, Melinda Ring and Aconarytori among others. Joseph received a Dance and Performance “Bessie” award in 2009. He has taught, collaborated and created at numerous institutions around the world including Bates Dance Festival, American Dance Festival, Springboard, and universities around the country.

MOSCELYNE PARKEHARRISON
Modern 3
Ballet 2/pre-pointe
BODYSONNET
Summer Intensive: 
Ballet Intermediate/Advanced Intensive
Ballet Advanced Beginner/Intermediate Intensive

Moscelyne graduated from The Juilliard School in 2019. She began her dance training in the thriving artistic atmosphere of the Berkshires. She attended Walnut Hill School for the Arts where she received a broad dance education, as well as the opportunity to choreograph works for the student choreography showcases. In her time at Juilliard she had the pleasure of performing new works by Helen Simoneau, Katarzyna Skarpetowska, Roy Assaf, and Stefanie Batten Bland, as well as the repertoire of José Limón, Nacho Duato, Martha Graham, and Crystal Pite. During her summers she trained and performed with the Jacob’s Pillow Contemporary Ensemble, as well as the composing principles of Iztok Kovac at Dock 11 in Berlin. She won “Best Choreography” in the NY Theater Summerfest 2018 for the play He & She.

In addition to performing, Moscelyne enjoys choreographing and collaborating with other artists. Four of her works have been selected for Juilliard Choreographic Honors. “Tour of a Reverie”, originally choreographed for Juilliard’s ChoreoComp, was performed in the Triskelion Arts CollabFest in fall 2018. Her latest work “Room for Longing” was performed as a part of Senior Production in the Willson Theater at Juilliard. She recently performed an original solo by Johannes Wieland entitled “rule/breaker” for Juilliard’s Senior Showcase. She is currently a member of Post:Ballet in San Francisco, and jHSpro lead by Alexandra Wells.

Moscelyne is the recipient of the Joseph W. Polisi Award for Artist as Citizen. She recently established BODYSONNET, a dance collective which is creating work in the Berkshires and is currently the company in residence at Berkshire Pulse.

MADISON VOMESTEK
Modern 4
Ballet 2/pre-pointe
Jazz Fundamentals

Madison Vomastek is a graduate of the inaugural class from the University of Southern California’s Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, where she performed work by Alejandro Cerrudo, Aszure Barton, Crystal Pite, Jodie Gates, Jiri Kylian, Sonya Tayeh, and William Forsythe. In February of 2019, she performed leading roles for USC Kaufman’s New York City debut at the Joyce Theatre. She has been a guest artist with Richard Siegal’s Ballet of Difference, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Gala De Danza, Laguna Dance Festival, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. She can be found in the 2018 Backstreet Boys music video “Chances.” Before the pandemic, Madison was an original cast member in West Side Story’s revival on Broadway, choreographed by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker. She continues to explore many dynamic colors in various movement languages to further ignite her passion.

Currently, Madison dances and collaborates with BODYSONNET in residence at Berkshire Pulse. “BODYSONNET is a collective of young contemporary dance makers and performers. Our foremost mission is to initiate projects in an array of communities that provide locals with unique and inclusive performance experiences.”

JORDYN CORMIER 

Modern Open Level

Jordyn is a multidisciplinary creative artist, holding a BFA in Dance from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. After graduation, she merged her extensive movement background with other creative avenues—namely filmmaking, writing, and movement direction. Through her company, Whimsy Media, she has created short films, worked on children’s books, written 900+ published articles, choreographed shows, worked as a brand creative strategist, and production managed a short film with an Academy Award winning director. She specializes in helping people of all ages and backgrounds experience the joy of movement and recognize their own creative potential.

AIMEE GELINAS, M.Ed.
Founding Faculty

Aimee Gelinas M.Ed is a musician and naturalist educator who has been performing and facilitating educational programs for over 25 years. She is a skilled percussionist and singer specializing in djembe, doun doun, conga, bongo, shekere and various percussion instruments. She co-founded and performs drumming and singing in the world music ensemble Gaia Roots (World Music/West African/Caribbean) and Trio Candela (Caribbean/Latin) and the rock band SIFER. She previously performed as a lead percussionist in the Cuban ensemble Iroko Nuevo for over 5 years. She teaches drumming throughout Western, MA and beyond and produces a yearly fundraiser event for Tamarack Hollow Nature & Cultural Center, the Berkshire Drum and Dance Fest and leads her student drum performance ensembles: The Berkshire and Valley Rhythm Keepers. She co-founded and directs the Tamarack Hollow Nature & Cultural Center in Windsor, MA a non-profit organization conserving 32 acres of boreal forest land that is dedicated to “Inspiring environmental and cultural awareness, appreciation and stewardship” by providing nature & drumming programs for all ages throughout Western MA and beyond. Aimee has traveled to West Africa, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico and throughout the US to perform and study percussion with master drummers including: Mamady Keita & Tam Tam Mandingue, Bolokada Conde, Namory Keita, Moussa Traore, Ismael Bangoura, M’Bemba Bangoura, Mague Sylla, Sidiki Sylla, Baros Gomis as well as Joe Platz, Raul “Lali” Gonzalez, Alexis Zayas, Pedrito Martinez, Titos Sompa, Frisner Augustin, master artists at the Conjunto Folkloriko in Havana and Los Munequitos de Matanzas and many more. She co-produced the 19-track CD Mother Drum by Gaia Roots featuring music from West Africa, the Caribbean and originals. You can reach Aimee at:

aimee@gaiaroots.com
www.tamarackhollownatureandculturalcenter.org
www.tamarackhollow.com
www.gaiaroots.com
www.sifer.net

Facebook Pages:
facebook.com/motherdrum (Gaia Roots)
facebook.com/tamarackhollownatureandculturalcenter
facebook.com/triocandela
facebook.com/sifer

Mio Ishikawa

Summer Intensive:
Ballet Intensive – Advanced Beginner/IntermediateBallet
Intensive – Intermediate/Advanced
July Ballet Series – Advanced Beginner/Intermediate

Mio Ishikawa (she/her) is a dancer and choreographer based in New York City. She is a native of Tokyo, Japan, where she began dancing at the age of 6. Her training in both classic and contemporary dance forged her strong interest in the performing arts and led her to study at the Juilliard School. She earned her BFA in May ‘19. She has performed the works of Iván Pérez, Alejandro Cerrudo, Roy Assaf, and Twyla Tharp among many others. She has been a collaborator with BodySonnet and a founder of Body Talk since 2019. She is currently in her certification process of Ilan Lev Technique. Mio received her degree in Economics from Keio University in ‘20. Mio has been a collaborator of BODYSONNET since ‘19.

FERN KATZ
Summer Intensive:
Contemporary & Dance Making Intensive Advanced Beginner/Intermediate

Fern is freelance performer and dance maker based in Western Massachusetts and New York City. With a BA in Dance and Birth Studies from Goddard College, Fern has also had the privilege of training at the Gibney Dance Center, earning a certification from the Professional Contemporary Track, as well as various intensive trainings with Shannon Gillen’s VIM/VIGOR Dance Company, and has studied the unique partnering technique of Sharon Fridman (Artistic Director of Compañia Sharon Fridman) in Madrid. She has had the pleasure of performing as a youth performer with Albany Berkshire Ballet Company production, and later with Opera Nouveau, Moving Arts Ensemble, Buglisi Dance Theater’s Table of Silence project at Lincoln Center, Compañia Sharon Fridman’s US premiere of Caída libre, and much more. Fern currently choreographs and performs with VEERdance Company (which she co-founded in 2018), collaborates and performs with Rebecca Pappas’ Projects in Hartford, and Olga Rabetskaya Dance Projects in New York City. Additional work includes teaching Pilates at The Pilates Space and dance at LifeWorks Studio, both in Great Barrington.

Sandra Bonilla
Summer Intensive: Dance Beyond Borders

Sandra Bonilla was born in El Salvador in 1979 starting in the world of dance in 1986 with the teacher Mercedez Cotto Classical ballet teacher. I studied ballet for 8 years, in 1994 I went on to study folklore from different countries of Central America with the renowned teacher, Marcial Gudiel. In the Morena Celarie dance school, in this same institution, I had the honor of being able to study Contemporary Dance in 1996 with the teacher German Paz, and the teacher Xenia Vaquero. In 1998 I received creative dance workshops, Pre-dance, specialized dances in children from 5 to 9 years in the year 2000 I received my certification as a dance teacher working in a dance company and in educational television for children called “La hora del niño” doing musical works such as “The nutcracker” in 2003 I have the opportunity to study with the teacher Jorge Gabidia and Mauricio Bonilla the beautiful Flamenco and Tango dances in 2005 I studied and managed to receive my certification as an Aerobic instructor in 2007 I received a workshop of the wonderful dance of Brazil Samba, in 2009 I study with the teacher Ruth Salas a workshop of Eurythmy. In 2010 she joined the International Dance Company Zamiras Belly Dance studying sensual oriental dance, belly dance and studying performances such as Flamenco-Arabe, Tango-Arabe and I had the opportunity to study cha-cha-cha and Conga. in 2016 with The help of the mayor and the dance company managed to open a small ballet school for people with very low resources that is still operating, in 2020 living in this beautiful community of the Berkshires I manage to form a small group of women which my dream is Let him grow up called L @ tyn Dance. Currently we do a choreography of no to machismo which is called “a tango between friends” because my passion for dance has no limit

PAMELA BADILA

Pamela Jackson Badila received a Bachelor of Science in Education and Creative Art at the University of Old Westbury in 1977. She taught African Folklore at Nassau Community College professionally for over seven years. In 1981 she went to tour the Ivory Coast with Les Guirivoires and visited Paris on an invitation from Le Grand Ballet d’Afrique Noir. She met Andre in Paris and subsequently joined the infamous Ballet Kodia. Pamela currently lives in Hudson NY where she continues teaching in the Arts.

ANDRES RAMIREZ

Andres Ramirez a Berkshire resident and owner of The Funk Box dance studio. Has been dancing for 11 years and has competed and taught in many different countries. His studio has placed top 3 within the USA Breakin’ League, has grown its reputation and was voted 2018’s Berkshires Best Dance Studio. Andres is here to share and spread his knowledge on breaking and hip hop culture.

SHAKIA BARRON
Hip Hop/ Street Style Intensive

Shakia Barron is a choreographer, performer, and dance educator whose work is rooted in the African Diaspora, focusing on Hip-Hop, House and other African diasporic dance forms. She graduated with her MFA in Choreography at Wilson College, she holds an Associate’s degree in dance and psychology from Dean College, a Bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Westfield State University, and she received the National Dance Institute’s teaching artist certificate in 2009.

Barron has choreographed and directed more than 50 Hip-Hop, modern, African and lyrical works that have been performed at Trenton Education Dance Institute, Rider University, the Princeton School of Ballet, Bates Dance Festival and Jacob’s Pillow. She has performed for numerous Hip-Hop events and has opened for concerts by Fat Joe, Jadakiss, 112, Charlie Baltimore, and Kima from “Total” and Omarion.

SEREENA HUNTER
Hip Hop/ Street Style Intensive

Sereena Hunter is a powerhouse dancer, choreographer and instructor. Her classes are dynamic, energetic and LOVED by students of all ages and backgrounds because of her exceptional teaching style and the joyful atmosphere she creates. Sereena studied a variety of dance styles and completed her formal training as a choreographer and instructor at Manchester College and Clague and Green Performing Arts School in the UK. She founded Urbanized Dance Academy in 2014 in Manchester, UK. and has been teaching and performing in the UK and US for many years.

CHRISTA MONTANO

Founding Faculty

Christa began her dance studies in Germany with Suzanne Kabitz, former assistant of Rudolf Von Laban. She continued her studies in Germany with Modern Dance innovators Mary Wigman and Herald Kreuzberg, and in the USA with Martha Graham at the Martha Graham Center for Contemporary Dance in New York City, as well as with other renowned choreographers/educators such as José Limón, Alwin Nicolais, Murray Louis, and Louis Horst. In 1962, Christa established a Modern Dance Department in a private high school in Windsor, CT. For many years, she taught Modern dance for students of the now Oxford Kingswood High School, as well as Creative Dance for children and adults throughout Hartford, CT, and NY. Christa is a founding faculty member, now in her late 80’s, she enjoys participating in the morning modern classes at Berkshire Pulse.

RUBY AVER

Founding Faculty

Ruby Aver passes on the highest standards of classical ballet which she fully absorbed through my training and performing internationally. I applaud her for her commitment to the art of ballet.- Master Teacher David Howard

Ruby served as Associate Director and Ballet Director for the Berkshire Pulse Performing Arts Program from 2005-2017. Her extensive contributions included curriculum development, establishing policies and guidelines essential to interdisciplinary dance training for youth and teens, and mentoring of teaching artists throughout her tenure.

Ruby’s primary ballet instructor Ed Parish was trained by Bronislava Nijinska. Ruby was awarded a full talent scholarship to the Harkness House for Ballet Arts by master teacher David Howard, where she went on to apprentice with the Harkness Ballet Company. She performed as a soloist with the Chicago Ballet Company and Ballet de Caracas. She was a principal dancer for Het Scapino Ballet of the Netherlands, where ‘Firebird ‘ was set on her by choreographer Job Sanders.

In addition to classical ballet Ruby has performed contemporary ballet by Hans van Manen and Nils Christie, Jazz choreography by Matt Mattox and dance theater work by company members from Pina Bausch Wuppertaal Tanzteater. Ruby has taught for Bard College at Simon’s Rock since 2004 and guest teaches for The Florida Ballet and Brooklyn Ballet.