I like making art with friends and dark chocolate in the room. These fine folks are the hearts on my sleeve. I believe in collaboration with generous artists who champion a unique point of view, and who can bring decisive action and creative puzzle solving to the dance floor. We all share lofty visions and kismet passions. A Heart Stück Bernie collaborator contributes to the charm and the sting of our arts & crafts aesthetic. Sense of humor required, but try not to eat the paste!
Emily Ames (Dancer)
Emily Ames arrived at the University of Maryland, College Park as a complete bunhead, and left four years later as a modern dancer with a love for creating nuanced choreography. While working on her two degrees in Dance and History, she had the opportunity to perform in works by The Median Movement, Monstah Black, Orange Grove Dance, Mark Bamuthi Joseph, and Company E, as well as tour Sinaloa, Mexico with PEARSONWIDRIG DANCETHEATER and a considerable number of oranges. She worked as a community organizer for the 120 Project and has danced with Heart Stück Bernie since 2016, when she step-touched for her life in the premiere of Snake Telegram.
Terra Bergamy (Dancer)
Terra Bergamy graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2017 with a Bachelor in Dance Performance. During her college career, you could see her at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center performing her own work as well as choreographers Monstah Black, Allen Chunhui Xing, and Adriane Fang. Otherwise, you could find her at the Xfinity Center cheering on the Terrapins with the Maryland Dance Team. She has also performed with companies, DEVIATED THEATRE, Orange Grove Dance, and Heart Stück Bernie in venues near and far such as Alvin Ailey Theatre, Dance Place, John F. Kennedy Center, and Sidney Harman Hall. Currently, you can find her commuting to and from DC to work as the Executive Assistant Intern at Dance Place and the Administration and Marketing Intern for Christopher K. Morgan & Artists.
Sarah Tundermann (Lighting Designer)
Sarah grew up in Colorado, the UK, and New England before landing in the DMV for graduate school at the University of Maryland in 2010, where she received her MFA in lighting design. She has been working in both the DC area and nationally as a lighting and projection designer for theatre, dance, and opera. Sarah has had the immense privilege of working with Heart Stück Bernie since 2016 and believes that working in dance feeds her soul. Sarah now lives in Baltimore with her ridiculous dog, Jinx Monsoon.
Annie Choudhury (Stage Manager)
Annie Choudhury graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2009 with a Bachelors degree in Theatre and has been working in the DC area as a technician and stage manager ever since. Always on the lookout for creative movement, she has had the pleasure of working with some of the nation’s leading authorities in dance. This will be her sixth season with Dance Place and is now their Resident Stage Manager, Master Electrician, and Associate Technical Director. She wants to thank all of her fellow technicians and dancers for making this piece possible and allowing her to be a part of it.
Kate Folsom (Dancer, Company Manager)
Kate Folsom resides in Washington, DC, was born in the Lone Star state, and grew up in the Shenandoah Valley. Folsom is currently a Dance Specialist at the National Endowment for the Arts and was formerly the Director of Programs at Dance/USA. She began her work in the DC metro area in technical theater at Dance Place. Folsom has been dancing with Heart Stück Bernie (HSB) since September 2013 and has enjoyed dancing in small spaces, sharing secrets onstage, throwing hammers, and combing confetti out of her hair ever since. In addition to HSB, Folsom has performed with Stephanie Miracle, Emma Crane Jaster, Dance Exchange, and UpRooted Dance. She is a graduate from the School of Theatre and Dance at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. She loves practicing yoga and being a part of the DC dance community. katefolsom.com
Sadie Leigh (Dancer)
Sadie Leigh is a dancer, performance artist, and teacher born and raised in the DC/Metropolitan Area. She began her dance training at the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and went on to get her BA in dance from University of Maryland, College Park. In 2011, Sadie stumbled into a life-changing love affair with Pointless Theatre Company. As a company member, she’s worn a variety of hats ranging from dancer to puppeteer to choreographer to assistant director. As a life long lover, performer, and maker of dance, Sadie brings a purposeful playfulness into her “day job” as a yoga teacher.
Juliana Mascelli (Dancer)
Juliana has been living and working in Washington, DC since 2000, which is hard for her to believe. She enjoys making short, absurd films with her friends and performing locally with darlingdance company and Heart Stück Bernie. She lives with her 17 lb cat, Spartikatz, and her partner, David (who happens to be a really sick drummer). Fun fact: Juliana and Kate Folsom sit just feet away from each other pushing paper at their 9-5! Juliana feels most alive when she’s making stuff and performing with brilliant folks.
Amber Lucia Chabus (Dancer)
Amber Lucia Chabus is a Spring 2018 graduate from the University of Maryland, College Park where she received dual degrees in Honors in Dance and Kinesiology. While at the University of Maryland, she worked with choreographers Xan Burley, Alex Springer, Liz Shea, Monstah Black, and Adriane Fang, and she has performed in the D.C. area with companies Heart Stück Bernie and Orange Grove Dance. Amber has enjoyed working in arts administration with the Trisha Brown Dance Company in NYC and at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in College Park, MD, and she will spend her summer in 2018 as an Archives Intern at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. When not dancing or choreographing pieces about cats, superheroes, and boxes, you will most likely find Amber eating watermelon, binge-watching reality TV, listening to Ariana Grande, or FaceTiming with her cat Grizabella.
Patricia Mullaney-Loss (Dancer)
Patricia Mullaney-Loss, originally from Minneapolis, MN, has been studying and working in the DC area for 7 years. She performs locally and is currently venturing into making her own work. She is a researcher at the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies and holds a masters of public policy and bachelors in dance and in government from the University of Maryland, College Park. In the DC area, she has performed in works by Chelsea Boyd Brown, BodyCartography, Jillian Peña, Stephanie Miracle, Jessie Laurita-Spanglet, Susan Marshall, Tere O’Connor, and Sharon Mansur.
Sydney Lemelin (Dancer)
Sydney Lemelin was raised in upstate New York on apple picking and an intense competitive rowing team. But when life gives you lemelin, you abandon the promise of athletic scholarship and pursue the arts. Sydney traded snow tires for Southern Charm to pursue a double degree in Dance and Information Science at the University of Maryland, College Park. So far, she’s been in two projects with Heart Stück Bernie where she digs into heavy pelvis movement and doing things 18 times. She has also enjoyed working with PEARSONWIDRIG DANCETHEATER, Mamela Nyamza, Orange Grove Dance, Shawn Stone, and her fellow undergraduate students.
Daniel Mancini (Composer)
Daniel Mancini, a native to the DC Metro area, studied jazz performance and percussion at Virginia Commonwealth University, and now lives and produces music in Takoma Park, MD. Accustomed to crafting indie pop songs in his second bedroom, Daniel has enjoyed musical collaborations on both coasts, most recently co-producing works with Portland’s Dan Lurie. New to the realm of dance, Daniel has found great opportunity and enjoyment in the art form with help from his partner, Kate Folsom, and local choreographer Sarah Beth Oppenheim. Daniel had his first foray into dance in Oppenheim’s Snake Telegram, where he performed movement and percussion accompaniment.
Oliver Mertz (Musician, Video Producer)
Oliver Mertz is a comic book writer, graphic designer, and musician. He writes the hit indie comic First Law of Mad Science and has contributed to New York Times best-selling anthologies. He lives in Takoma Park, Maryland with his wife, a television shamelessly placed over the fireplace, and lots of construction paper things.
sarahbethoppenheim.com 