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Archives: Team Members
Team Members
Luana Dias David
LUANA DIAS DAVID – PROFESSIONAL DANCER AND CHOREOGRAPHER
“It is immensely rewarding to help others achieve a happy and healthy lifestyle.”
Luana began her professional career at the age of 14 in Brazil. She has done dance performances/choreographer throughout Italy, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Germany, U.S.A., Mexico, Israel, Russia, Turkey, South Korea, China, Kazakhstan, Romanian, Armenia, Georgia. Recently back from her first South America tour with Zumba events including Colombia, Peru, Chile and Brazil!
A native of Sao Paulo-Brazil, Luana was exposed to a mixed culture of Break dance, Samba, Capoeira and classic Ballet which have inspired her dance philosophy and style.
Tarcísio Ramos Dos Santos
Tarcísio is a Brazilian artist living in the Berkshires. His interdisciplinary approach to the arts gives him the ability to navigate through different art forms. He is a member of the brazilian percussion group Berkshire Bateria, and the bossa nova band Bossa Triba. He performs often with both groups. He has published two books, a poetry book called “Point of Departure”, and a children’s book titled “Quinho, a Kid Out The World”. Tarcisio has worked in Upstate New York at the Art Omi teaching theater. Presently he works for ONG, also in Upstate NY providing individuals with autism with artistic and practical avenues to live life and to self-express. Out of all art forms that he practices, he has practiced capoeira the longest. Capoeira was part of his upbringing in Brazil and he started it at the age of 10. He is excited to share it with the Berkshires.
Gillian Ebersole
Born in Portland, Oregon, and raised in Denver, Colorado, Gillian Ebersole (they/them) is a dancer and choreographer, as well as a poet, dance writer, and researcher. Gillian graduated Summa Cum Laude from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles with a dual degree in Dance and English. Performed on stages in Los Angeles, Denver, and Paris, as well as across Berkshire County, their choreographic work merges a love for language and for movement. Gillian trained with Denver contemporary dance company Wonderbound, Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company, Whyteberg, Gibney, and Bill T. Jones. Most recently, Gillian has performed and presented work at multiple venues in Berkshire County, including Jacob’s Pillow, The Foundry, and Chesterwood. Drawn to the communal embodied experience. Gillian is a certified yoga instructor and has taught both dance and yoga in studios and community spaces. After moving to Western Massachusetts to work for Jacob’s Pillow, Gillian became a Teaching Artist Fellow as part of the Massachusetts Cultural Council Creative Youth Development program. Currently, Gillian works for Berkshire Pulse as the Marketing/PR & Youth Performing Arts Program Coordinator and is proud to be a member of their Modern Dance Faculty.
Melissa Elstein
Melissa Elstein founded Good Energy Movement & Wellness to bring the joy of movement to students of all ages and levels in her dance and yoga classes. As a young dancer, she trained at Balanchine’s School of American Ballet and performed with NYCB, Berlin Opera Ballet, and Royal Danish Ballet. Her teachers at SAB included Stanley Williams, Madame Danilova, and Suki Schurer. During Summer breaks, Melissa studied at Ballet West, and in NYC with Melissa Hayden, Willie Burmann, Madame Darvash, and David Howard (where she became a scholarship student). She was accepted into the Pennsylvania Ballet Company her last year of high school. Melissa performed with that company for several years until an injury sidelined her professional ballet career.
Shifting to academics, Melissa graduated from Barnard College and Columbia Law School. She completed Federal clerkships, before joining NYPD’s legal bureau. Her life took another turn when she trained in yoga, qigong, Pilates, Reiki, and other healing modalities. Returning to her first passion (ballet), Melissa graduated from Finis Jhung’s teacher training, performed in three of his instructional DVDs, and taught adult ballet for him at Alvin Ailey’s Extension Program. She completed children’s teacher trainings with Yogi Beans and American Ballet Theater and has taught children’s and teen ballet at the School at Steps on Broadway and as a guest teacher in the Berkshires.
Her website: www.Melissa-Mati.com.
Dr. Jerome F. Errico
Dr. Jerome F. Errico is a Board Certified Chiropractic Physician practicing in Lenox, Massachusetts. He holds a bachelor of science degree in biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; a doctoral degree in chiropractic from New York Chiropractic College; a master’s degree in human nutrition from the University of Bridgeport in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and is certified in hypnotherapy from the American Hypnosis Association. Dr. Errico is also a Consulting Gerson Physician, having studied the Gerson Therapy for nutritional oncology under Charlotte Gerson at the Gerson Institute in San Diego, California.
Charles J. Ferris
Charles Ferris has been a practicing attorney in Massachusetts and New York for 35 years. After graduating from St. John’s School of Law he served as a law clerk to the Justices of the New York Supreme Court. He then served as a Litigation Associate in the New York City offices of Weil Gotshal & Manges, where he represented major corporations, banks and brokerage companies in complex lawsuits throughout the United States. Following that position he served as Assistant General Counsel to Bank Hapoalim where he was responsible for a large portfolio of commercial loan transactions and in-house litigation and labor law matters. He then served as Counsel to Sotheby’s and Sotheby’s International Realty, before opening his own practice in Berkshire County in 1993.
He obtained a Masters of Law (LL.M.) from New York University, and has taught law courses at New York School of Law and Western New England School of Law. He has served as a member of Great Barrington Rotary since 1995, and has been a member of its Board of Directors, Fund Raising Committee and Scholarship Committee for more than 10 years. He was a founding member and former Chairman of the Eagle Fund, which raises money for grants that foster academic excellence and enhanced educational experiences in the Southern Berkshire School District as well as a Grant Committee member of the Janet Fund, a privately endowed fund which provided funds for projects in the Southern Berkshire School District. Since 2008 he has also been a member of the Board of Directors of Berkshire Pulse, a not-for-profit corporation in Great Barrington which provides dance and performing arts classes for children and adults.
Laurie Freedman
Laurie Freedman began her dance training as student and later as assistant to renown modern dancer Jane Dudley. Laurie earned a BA in dance from Bennington College and MFA in Dance, Arts Administration, and Video-Production from Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. Laurie was invited to Israel to join the prestigious Batsheva Dance Company in Tel Aviv. She lived Israel for 18 years, performing and touring with the company, as well as creating original choreography and teaching dance for performing arts venues throughout the country.
Upon returning to the USA, Laurie was invited to direct the dance program at the Millbrook School. She later developed a digital video program for the arts department, served as technical director of the theater and interim director of the school’s Holbrook Art Center. Laurie has received various grants and awards for her work in dance and video production. She serves on the Board of Directors of Berkshire Pulse and CTSBTV.
Aimee Gelinas, M.Ed.
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
Alan Glackman, CPA
Employment
Sobel, Glackman & Sobel, P.A. – 1971 to September 15, 2006
Admitted as a partner in 1978. Became Managing Partner in 1993.
Accounting, auditing and tax partner. Industry experience includes construction, manufacturing, retail, leisure, restaurant and professional practices including legal and medical.
Alan S. Glackman, C.P.A., P.C. – September 16, 2006 to present
Education
Graduate of Florida Atlantic University, B.S. from the College of Business and Public Administration, June 1970.
Successfully passed all parts of the Uniform CPA Examination in November 1975. MEMBER
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants
Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants
Boards and positions
Great Barrington Rotary Board Member and Treasurer
Great Barrington Rotary Student Assistance Fund and Treasurer
Berkshares Board Member and Treasurer – 2007-2013
Berkshire Pulse Board Member and Treasurer – Since 2013