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 (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 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 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 (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.
Lindsey Jones is a New York City–based dancer and herbalist, originally from St. Louis, Missouri. A graduate of SUNY Purchase, she has been a longtime member of Pam Tanowitz Dance and Dance Heginbotham. She has also performed with the Trisha Brown Dance Company, Kimberly Bartosik, Sally Silvers, Bill Young, Caleb Teicher, and worked on productions at The Metropolitan Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Bard Summerscape, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, American Classical Orchestra, and Works & Process at the Guggenheim. Since 2012, Lindsey has performed with the Merce Cunningham Trust in a range of settings, including the centennial event Night of 100 Solos at BAM, Robert Rauschenberg’s Centennial, and the 3D film CUNNINGHAM. She has been certified to teach Cunningham Technique® since 2022. Lindsey has served as adjunct faculty at Rutgers University, SUNY Purchase, and Marymount Manhattan. In 2022, Lindsey was awarded a research fellowship from the New York Public Library, where she researched the intersection of dance and ecology. She is a graduate of the Arbor Vitae School of Traditional Herbalism. She is currently a Teaching Fellow at Smith College and an MFA candidate.
Sara Kiesel is a seasoned educator specializing in 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 recently been studying the effects of trauma on children and youth, with the aim of teaching simple techniques for self-care.
Sara is a gifted teacher with an empathetic and perceptive ability to meet the child where he/she is. 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 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.
Leighann Kowalsky (she/her) is a Hudson-Valley based dance artist, educator & choreographer, travelling globally. An active performer with the Erick Hawkins Dance Company under the direction of Katherine Duke, and AuraCuriatlas Physical Theater Company under the direction of Joan Gavaler, Kowalsky also performs as a dancer & acrobat for a number of other independent and seasonal companies. With a BA in Communications and Psychology and an MFA in Choreography, Kowalsky serves as Research Advisor and Adjunct Professor for Reinhardt University’s MFA in Choreography program. Kowalsky additionally serves as Global Coordinator at the Institute for the Study of Somatic Communication, and on the Development Committee at the National Dance Educators Organization. Having just returned from a 3-month residency in Sydney, Australia with Nita Little, Critical Path, and the MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, she looks forward to returning to Berkshire Pulse this spring and summer.
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)
