Jody Green (they/them) has been a hip-hop fan since first hearing the song “What?” by A Tribe Called Quest playing out of their oldest brother’s maroon Nissan Maxima in 1991. They are a dancer and actor based in Great Barrington. Jody grew up dancing with their family and with CityKids- a youth performing arts group in New York City. They were part of Fusion Dance Company at Brown University where they studied West African dance with Seydou and Michelle Coulibaly. In New York City, they were part of the modern/African/hip-hop based Jamal Jackson Dance Company which performed at PS 21 in Chatham, NY and The Yard in Martha’s Vineyard. Jody has studied hip-hop dance with legends Brian “Footwork” Green, Jazzy J, Popmaster Fable, and Galen Hooks. They have taught hip-hop dance locally at Renaissance Arts Center, Lifeworks Studio, and Berkshire Arts Center. Jody also teaches private hip-hop and wedding dance lessons. They are very excited to be part of the Pulse community!
Archives: Team Members
Team Members
Ashley Hartka
Ashley Hartka received her dance degrees from SUNY Purchase (BALA, 1995) and the University of Colorado at Boulder (MFA, 2005). Ashley found her passion for teaching early on with Flowering Child long before it became Berkshire Pulse. She has since taught dance in multiple ways to a wide variety of populations, from teaching college students at the University of Colorado and at SUNY Albany; lower school students in NYC public schools; technique classes to many age groups in various local programs and studios; and movement exploration classes to teens and adults in community settings, both indoors and out.
Ashley greatly enjoys the choreographic process, movement exploration, improvisation, and the art of movement in the everyday. She has been choreographing and performing in her own work and has had the privilege to perform in works by great artists such as Trisha Brown, Martha Graham, Kevin Wynn, Michelle Ellsworth and Gabe Masson, Sondra Loring, Sarah Stackhouse, among many others. She has been a member of a dance collective that performed many site-specific and cross collaborative works. Additionally, she has been involved in a movement lab, a Contemplative Dance Practice and an improvisational group with wonderful movement artists. Ashley is thrilled to be sharing her love of dance to her young students again this year.
Mak Henderson
Mak Henderson (she/her) has a passion for all things design. She graduated in May 2025 with her BFA in Interior + Spatial Design from Russell Sage College in Albany, NY. Originally from Fayetteville, AR, Mak moved to New York when she was 15 and just moved here to the Berkshires in September! She has a love for production design both on screen and on the stage. Her other loves and hobbies are watching scary movies, creative writing, and reading. She can’t wait to help Pulse with this year’s Spring Celebration!
Molly Hess
Molly Hess is a Berkshires, MA based choreographer, dancer, educator, and art’s administrator who creates playful and tender work meant to be enjoyed by audiences of all ages. She is dedicated to teaching dance with a focus on creativity and process. Molly currently teaches at Studio North Dance Arts. She previously taught with Together in Dance, WR Arts, Cambridge Performance Project, Dance in the Schools, and Dance Place. Molly has a B.A. in dance from St. Olaf College, a certificate in Brain-Compatible Dance education from Creative Dance Center, and is currently part of the 21-22 Jacobs Pillow Curriculum in motion cohort.
Molly has had her choreography presented all around the US including: Plant Connector (MA), Movement Research (NY), Links Hall (IL), AS220 (RI), The Dance Complex (MA), Mascher Space Coop (PA), and Denmark arts Center (ME). Molly is half of The Picnic Sisters, an ongoing collaboration with Eliza Malecki and is a member of the North Adams artist collective Commonfolk. She is passionate about intergenerational dance connection and was a member of two Boston based intergenerational companies, Back Pocket Dancers and PB&J Dance Company. She is also the associate director of an arts and nature based non-profit, Bearnstow on Parker Pond.
Mackenzie Hoffman
Mackenzie Hoffman (she/they) is an arts educator, director, and choreographer based in the Berkshires. Originally from Dayton, OH, Mack found a love of performing early and was put in musical theatre as a result. Mack holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from West Virginia University and has worked professionally in both the theatre and arts education fields her whole adult life. Working for children’s theatres all over the country, Mackenzie strives to help create the next generation of well-rounded artists.
At Pulse, Mackenzie is stepping into the role of Youth Performing Arts Program Coordinator and is very excited to hit the ground running! Berkshire Pulse has felt like home since the first class they took as a community student. She teaches in the jazz program, assisting Jazz 2/3 and teaching Jazz 3/4, as well as the Musical Theatre Collective. They love sharing her knowledge with the students at Pulse who are always eager to learn and grow.
When not at work, Mack loves reading, playing Dungeons and Dragons, and cuddling with her two kitties, Fig and Greg!
Amy Humes
Amy holds a BA in Theatre Arts from Drew University. Prior to moving to the Berkshires, she held numerous positions in theatre and television in New York City and Los Angeles. Notable companies include: Ellen Novack Casting, The Vineyard Theatre (Three Tall Women moved to Broadway in 1994), Classic Stage Company, Williamstown Theatre Festival, CBS Morning News, Evening News with Dan Rather, and 60 Minutes. Most of her television work was on The Late Show with David Letterman, where she was an Assistant Director and Stage Manager for several years. Los Angeles credits include Friends, The X-Files, The Drew Carey Show, and others. She is most proud of her credit as Mother to Katherine and Spencer, who are now both away at school courageously pursuing their dreams. Amy lives in Great Barrington with her husband Bruce and their naughty cat Tasha.
Susan Ingersoll
Susan Ingersoll has served as the Finance Director at Berkshire Pulse since 2015. Susan relocated to the Berkshires from California in 1990 and has dedicated her career to working with nonprofit organizations. Over the years, she has been an active board member for the Sheffield Land Trust and Greenagers, all while raising two children in the community. Outside of her professional role, Susan enjoys staying active on the pickleball court and pursuing her passions, which include spending time by the ocean, reading, and thrifting.
Holly Jones
Holly Jones (she/her) is delighted to be joining the faculty at Pulse! Jones is a NYC and Berkshire based dancer, educator, and arts advocate. She is the Producing Director at Jacob’s Pillow, performs with The Bang Group, and serves on the boards of The Clive & Valerie Barnes Foundation, New England Presenters, The Croft Residency, and MMC’s Dance Advisory Board. Originally from Colorado, Holly holds a BFA in Dance from Marymount Manhattan College and a MS in Nonprofit Leadership from Penn.
Sara Kiesel
Sara Kiesel is a seasoned educator specializing in adaptive arts for the young child. She has worked as a dance/movement specialist and Arts administrator, workshop leader, and teacher trainer. Her background in dance, movement therapy, creative arts and performance has given her a breadth of experience while working with hundreds of children, families and teaching professionals. Sara has studied the effects of trauma on children and youth. she has developed teaching techniques for self-care.
Sara is a gifted teacher with an empathetic and perceptive ability to meet the child where they are at. Sara brings her knowledge of the child’s developmental, social and emotional needs to the table as she guides parents and teachers to better understand the child in their care. An experienced speaker and workshop leader, Sara engages audiences with her enthusiasm, joy for the role of the arts in education, and respect for the journey of the child whose perceptions and abilities are ready to be expressed. Understanding that all children have individual learning styles enables Sara to work effectively with all populations.
Marta Kirsis
Marta Kirsis has spent her career at the intersection of media, technology, and the consumer. She is known for translating audience insights into global strategies that drive engagement, revenue growth, and scalable best practices that position organizations for sustainable, profitable growth. Most recently, she served as VP of Streaming Strategy for Paramount Global, where she led initiatives that established Paramount+ as the fastest-growing SVOD service since its launch and PlutoTV as the most widely distributed FAST service.
Previously, Marta was VP of Analytics for Viacom Digital Studios, where her work helped propel the Studio to #1 on Tubular’s Media & Entertainment charts within two years of launch. She was also part of the team behind the successful positioning and launch of Yellowstone. Marta began her career at MTV Networks in Research, focused on measurement and analytics of the evolving cable tv landscape.
She holds a B.A. from Colgate University and is a graduate of the Wharton School. A longtime Berkshires resident, Marta first connected with Berkshire Pulse when she began taking dance classes to prepare for a cultural performance in Latvia. Outside of work, she enjoys skiing, pickleball, and gardening.