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. She has been teaching dance and gymnastics since she was a young adult as well as being a preschool teacher for the past 15 years here in the Berkshires. In her spare time she enjoys playing paintball and kayaking with her partner and snuggling her 3 cats.
Archives: Team Members
Team Members
Eric Otto
Eric Otto was born and raised in Westchester, New York. He began dancing at
the age of seven with the School of American Ballet in New York City. He
has danced professionally with the New York City Ballet, American Ballet
Theatre, Metropolitan Opera Ballet, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet and
BalletX.
He was an original cast member of Twyla Tharp’s Come Fly Away,
performing the leading role of Sid. Mr. Otto was invited to join the cast of
Tharp’s Movin’ Out where he starred in the Broadway and First National Tour
companies as James. He has appeared on Broadway in The Phantom of the
Opera and toured with Twyla Tharp for her 50th Anniversary.
Mr. Otto has performed an extensive repertoire, including ballets by
Frederick Ashton, George Balanchine, John Cranko, Jiri Kylian, Kenneth
MacMillan, and Jerome Robbins. He has danced roles created for him by
Twyla Tharp, Paul Taylor, Lynne Taylor-Corbette and Matthew Neenan.
Eric’s academic credentials include serving as Artist in Residence in Classical
Ballet at Skidmore College from 2018 to 2021, where he choreographed
Vivaldi’s Four Seasons recomposed by Max Richter and staged Paquita. He
has also been the Artistic Director of the Peoria Ballet in Illinois, Rehearsal
Director for BalletX in Philadelphia and taught on faculty at Ballet Academy
East and Peridance in NYC. He is on guest faculty with The Rock School for
Dance Education and the Joffrey Academy of Dance in Chicago. Eric Otto is
an ABT Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT Teacher
Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 6/7 and Partnering of the
ABT National Training Curriculum.
As a choreographer, Eric has received commissions by Peoria Ballet
Company, Albany Berkshire Ballet, Saratoga Arts Fest, The Bruce Museum,
Bucknell University, Skidmore College and the Toledo Ballet.
In 2022, Eric accepted the Artistic Director and Head of Curriculum position
with Toledo Ballet.
Raymon “Red Ink” Padro
Raymon “Red Ink” Padro is an accomplished Hip Hop dancer hailing from Hartford, CT. His dance journey began in 2009 at the age of 8 when he joined the Kalligraphy dance crew. After learning about Litefeet in 2018 through YouTube, he had fully immersed himself in the art by 2021. Since 2022, he’s been a dynamic member of the Brooklyn Nets’ Team Hype and has also joined Bombsquad, an critically acclaimed Litefeet team. Passionate about the dance style, Raymon is dedicated to sharing his knowledge and experience with aspiring dancers, aiming to share the Litefeet community with the present and future generations.
Click here to see Raymon teaching Litefeet at Studio 860!
Moscelyne ParkeHarrison
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.
Diane Pearlman
Diane recently produced the award-winning short film, A Tree A Rock A Cloud, based on the short story by Carson McCullers, written and directed by actor, Karen Allen, as well as the short film, You Have A Voice for the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus/Berkshire Section about young women, leadership and civic engagement. Her current slate of feature projects includes the refugee story, Weeping Under This Same Moon, by Jana Laiz, a screen adaptation of Edith Wharton’s novel, Summer, by feature film art director/ production designer, Carl Sprague, and Mumbet: A Free Woman, the true story of Elizabeth “Mumbet’ Freeman, the first slave in Massachusetts to take her owner to court and win her freedom.
Diane has directed and produced projects locally for 1Berkshire, Berkshire United Way, McCann Technical School, Age Friendly Berkshires & the ROPE Program (Rites of Passage and Empowerment Program for young women of color in Pittsfield). She is currently partnering with Great Barrington Public Theater to direct/produce a series of original short films about nature by local Berkshire playwrights.
Diane served as Production Manager for the creation of a web-based health initiative for Canyon Ranch in Lenox, MA. She has also produced several industrial animation projects for Ben Hillman & Company of Sheffield, MA as well as the animated sequence for Spike Lee’s film, She Hate Me, directed by Hillman.
Diane was Executive Producer and General Manager of Mass.Illusion, a visual effects movie studio located in Lenox, Massachusetts and Alameda, California. From 1993 to 1998, she oversaw up to 200 employees and a through put of $8-$10 million per year on such films as The Matrix (Academy Award 2000, Best Visual Effects), What Dreams May Come (Academy Award 1999, Best Visual Effects), Starship Troopers, Evita, Eraser, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Judge Dredd, The Scarlet Letter, and Event Horizon.
In addition to her award-winning visual effects, Diane served as Supervising Producer for the production of three specialty films attractions for Circus Circus’ hotel, LUXOR LAS VEGAS. The $50M project was produced at The Trumbull Company, Lenox, MA. During that time, she produced the award winning behind-the-scenes documentary, “The Making of Luxor” for Director Scott Morris.
Prior to that, Diane worked for R/Greenberg Associates in New York City where she produced countless commercials and feature film title sequences.
Diane holds a degree from Vassar College and attended Princeton University and NYU Film School. She is Chairman of the Board of Berkshire Pulse, a performing arts center in Housatonic, MA. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the 1Berkshire Foundation. She is an active member of New York Women in Film and Television, The Massachusetts Production Coalition, New England Women in Film and The Visual Effects Society. Diane lives in Great Barrington, MA with her husband and two sons.
Miriam Piilonen
Miriam Piilonen is a musician, dancer, writer, and professor of music theory at UMass Amherst. Miriam grew up in Blacksburg, VA where she was a member of the Hoorah Cloggers Appalachian dance troop. She holds a PhD in music theory from Northwestern University, an MS in human development from Virginia Tech, and a BM in composition from New England Conservatory.
George Pinney
Nominated for a Tony Award and a National Broadway Theatre Award for choreography for Blast!, George Pinney received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography for the PBS broadcast of Blast!
Professor Emeritus and creator and former Head of the B.F.A. in Musical Theatre in the Department of Theatre, Drama, and Contemporary Dance at Indiana University, George has directed and/or choreographed for Broadway, the West End of London, national and international tours, regional theatres, and more than one hundred university productions.
Recognized as a master teacher, George was awarded the prestigious Friedrich Herman Lieber Award for Distinguished Teaching, five Indiana University Board of Trustees Awards for Excellence in Teaching, and membership in the Faculty Colloquium on Excellence in Teaching.
With years of research and study in pedagogy and methodology, George approaches each student as a unique individual, working to develop each student’s potential for success. His outlook is global and holistic. The College of Arts and Sciences’ recognition of George as Professor of the Year underscores both his work with students and his contributions to Indiana University. His students have made their mark on Broadway, the West End, national and international tours, regional theatres from coast to coast and around the world, as well as in television and film.
Pinney’s current interests focus on new musical theatre works. His production of Front Page Flo, for which he was one of the book writers as well as director and choreographer, was a hit at the Adirondack Theatre Festival in 2018. George was also the lead book writer for Tuning In, which enjoyed highly successful runs at the Bloomington Playwrights Project in Bloomington, Indiana, and at the Adirondack Theatre Festival.
Sylvana Proano
Sylvana Proano is the founder of Casa Multicultural, a nonprofit organization that supports immigrant families and communities through art, dance, music, and education. With over 10 years of experience in social work, Sylvana has a proven track record of working in the community for other nonprofit organizations. Sylvana began her career at Berkshire Medical Center, where she worked as a certified medical interpreter. When she became a part of the Social Berkshire Children and Families, now known as 18 Degrees, Sylvana’s passion for helping families and keeping them together grew tremendously. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Studies from a university in her home country of Ecuador. Sylvana’s passion is to empower families, especially immigrant families, as this was the main reason she founded Casa Multicultural.
Sylvana lives in The Berkshires with her beautiful daughters and her husband. In her spare time, she enjoys walking with her senior dog Ricky. Her favorite season is Winter.
Susan Quinn
Young Choreographers Program Director
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)
Ted Randolph
Ted Randolph grew up in Alabama, graduated high school in Texas, took several gap
years in Colorado, finished college in Vermont, and taught at a tiny K-12 school for five
years after that. He learned and enjoyed many varieties of folk dancing along the way,
but did not become aware of Scottish Country Dancing until the summer of 1988, shortly
before moving to the Berkshires.
Fortuitously, there was a Scottish Country Dance class in Great Barrington, and Ted
was able to pursue his newfound passion there. He has attended regularly since
October, 1988, eventually becoming its teacher in 2018. This class has had many
homes, and has been held happily at Berkshire Pulse since 2014.
Ted taught SCD at The Mountain Road School in New Lebanon, NY, from 1992-1998,
and in 2016 he started a children’s SCD class at Mettabee Farm and Arts in Hillsdale,
NY, continuing until 2023. He was a member of a Scottish dance demonstration team
led by the Albany SCD Class from 1989-2020, performing occasionally at the Altamont
Highland Games, NEFFA (New England Folk Festival Association), and every year at
the Saratoga Dance Flurry Festival. He has been a certified teacher of the Royal
Scottish Country Dance Society (https://rscds.org/) since 2019. Ted is also an avid contra
dancer, a dance organizer, and is working on improving his skills as a contra dance
caller.