Team Group: Teaching Artists

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.

Matthew Cumbie (he/him/his) is a collaborative dancemaker, writer, and artist educator. His artistic research cultivates processes and experiences that are participatory and intergenerational, moving through known and unknown, and bring a poetic lens to a specifically queer experience. His choreography and dancemaking- considered “a blend of risk-taking with reliability, [and] a combination of uncertainty and wisdom,”- weaves together a physical vocabulary of momentum and clarity, revelatory moments, and a belief in a body’s capacity to meet each moment.

He has danced in the companies of Christian von Howard, Keith Thompson, Jill Sigman, Paloma McGregor, and Dance Exchange- an intergenerational dance organization founded by Liz Lerman- where he became an Associate Artistic Director and the Director of Programs and Communications. With Dance Exchange, he collaborated on and performed in works ranging in topic from the human genome to prayer and protest, on the highest point of the Great Smoky Mountains during a total solar eclipse, and with community organizers and activists after years of research and work in response to structures of racism and erasure in Dallas, Texas. In partnership with Dance Exchange, Matthew advanced his body of work Growing Our Own Gardens- an iterative intergenerational performance project rooted in queer world-making that partners with local LGBTQ+ and arts organizations, like the Rainbow History Project, the DC Center, and Dance Place, to catalyze intergenerational LGBTQ+ convenings and reflection. 

As an artist educator, Matthew helped develop and brand Cassie Meador’s Moving Field Guide: a program created in partnership with the US Forest Service that connects artists with scientists, naturalists, and environmental educators to help people learn about environmental issues. He has been an artist-educator with Jacob’s Pillow, including their Curriculum in Motion program, and continues integrating artistic approaches and facilitation strategies in classrooms and with teachers in PG County (Maryland) and Waterville, ME. He has been on faculty at Texas Woman’s University, Queensborough Community College, American University, and the Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University, and has been an invited speaker at the New York City Roundtable Arts in Education conference, the Advancing the Human Condition Symposium at Virginia Tech, and the LGBT Health and Art Making conference, in partnership with the Human Rights Commission and the GWU Health and Well-being graduate program. He was also selected to be a part of the inaugural APAP Artist Leadership Fellowship cohort.

Currently, he is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Colby College. He continues creating work independently and in collaboration with Betsy Miller, Tom Truss, and Annie Kloppenberg, and as a company member with Christopher K. Morgan & Artists. He supports the development of artists’ work as a professional fundraiser, specializing in online fundraising campaigns and grant writing, and is a certified practitioner of Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Process. His work has been commissioned and supported by places like Dance Place, the Kennedy Center, Herman Melville’s Arrowhead, and Harvard University, and by the National Endowment for the Arts, the DC Commission for the Arts and Humanities, HumanitiesDC, the Arcus Foundation, the New England Foundation for the Arts, and the Somerville Arts Council. Originally from Houston, Matthew holds undergraduate degrees from Texas Lutheran University and Texas State University and an MFA in dance from Texas Woman’s University.

Madeline teaches Shake Your Soul®—a soulful, somatic dance practice that helps people connect with their bodies, awaken joy, and experience greater freedom of expression and self-awareness through movement.

She is a certified Registered Somatic Movement Therapist and Educator (RSMT/E) who combines her expertise in trauma-informed care with a deep passion for supporting others in healing through the mind-body connection. Madeline is registered with ISMETA (the International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association) and is currently completing the required hours toward Master-level certification as a Somatic Movement Therapist (MSMT). She is also pursuing her M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a trauma concentration at Antioch University New England. Her approach draws from Polyvagal Theory, Body-Centered Gestalt Psychotherapy, and expressive arts modalities.

Between her undergraduate and graduate studies, Madeline spent four years in Shanghai, China, teaching children English, dance, and drama performance. During that time, she also had the opportunity to share Shake Your Soul® at local studios. This international experience broadened her perspective on movement and performance, deepening her calling to somatic healing work.

In her practice, Madeline uses tools such as body scanning, mindful movement, journaling, and nervous system education to help clients and students reconnect with their body’s wisdom and create new pathways for healing. Whether in group classes or individual sessions, she strives to create a safe, welcoming space where people can explore their authentic selves through embodiment.

Madeline teaches Shake Your Soul® on Thursdays at Berkshire Pulse and offers remote somatic therapy sessions. She has served as an assistant for LIFE Movement’s SomaSoul® Clinical Training program for two years and will assist with the Shake Your Soul® Level 1 Teacher Training for the second time this summer, sharing her experience with the next generation of somatic practitioners. 

View Madeline’s ISMETA Profile

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.

Jennifer Foster-Drake, originally from Frisco, Texas, began her dance training at the age of two at The Tuzer Ballet under the direction of Pat and Tanju Tuzer. Her early training included studies at The National Ballet of Canada and summer intensives with The Kirov Academy. At the age of fifteen, Jennifer continued her pre-professional training at The Harid Conservatory.

Upon graduating with the President’s Academic Award of Achievement, Jennifer joined The Cincinnati Ballet where she performed corps de ballet, soloist, and principal roles. Her repertoire included Myrtha in Giselle, the Temperament Fairy and Carabosse in Sleeping Beauty, the Winter Fairy and Stepmother in Cinderella, Jennifer in Val Caniparoli’s Lambarena, “The Gods” in Seventh Symphony coached by the late Frederic Franklin, and the Second Regiment Lead in George Balanchine’s Stars and Stripes.

Jennifer has since performed as a principal and guest artist with companies across the United States and internationally, including Ballet Manila, Barak Ballet under the direction of Melissa Barak, and Amy Seiwert’s Imagery.

Some of Jennifer’s favorite full-length roles include Odette in Swan Lake, coached by the late Elaine Thomas, as well as title roles in Carmen, Giselle, and Cinderella. Additional favorite repertoire includes Balanchine’s The Man I Love and Fascinatin’ Rhythm from Who Cares?, as well as Valse Fantaisie. She especially valued performing original contemporary works created on her by choreographers including Darrell Grand Moultrie and Ma Cong.

Jennifer has also served as a guest choreographer for Chattanooga Ballet and Arova Contemporary Ballet.

In 2015, Jennifer founded The Dancer Project Conservatory, in the Nashville area, initially creating a free professional training space for local artists. Following several successful performance series, she expanded the organization into a full conservatory and community-centered dance school focused on making high-quality dance education and live performance more accessible to youth, adults, and underserved communities.

With over 39 years of dance training and more than 24 years of professional teaching and performance experience, Jennifer is passionate about mentoring dancers of all ages and cultivating technically strong, artistic, and confident performers while being a safe space for movement and body positivity. 

Outside of the studio, Jennifer enjoys gardening and spending time on her farm with her wife, Amanda, their children Louis and Ender, and their many animals, including horses, chickens, dogs, and their beloved pig, Confetti. She credits her family’s unwavering support in her youth instilling her love for dance, and especially Amanda’s belief in her dreams—as a guiding force throughout her artistic journey.

Photo Credit: Martin O’Connor Photography

Nic Fortenbach/Notorious Nic is 21 years old from Connecticut. Nic is a member of United Outkast Breaking Crew of CT and a member of the legendary Floorlords Crew out of Boston, MA.  He spent his 2023 to 2025 performing for the Boston Celtics Jet Blue Flight Crew at Celtics home games. He has done many other projects such as videos, performances and is active in the breaking scene. Nic is very passionate about dance and enjoys learning from his peers/mentors.

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! 

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.