Hip Hop, Modern
Jessika is an interdisciplinary artist based, and currently freelancing in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She began formal dance training in 2010 at Lundstrum Performing Artist where she was introduced to jazz, ballet, and musical theatre. She began professionally dancing in 2014. In the summer of 2014, she was given a chance scholarship to train with ARENA DANCES. She graduated from Perpich Center for Arts Education in 2015 where she studied dance under the instruction of Mary Harding. While at Perpich, she trained at TU Dance Center in Horton technique, West African dance, ballet, Gaga, and repertoire. She has performed at The Guthrie, Intermedia Arts, The Ordway, Northrop, First Avenue, General Mills, Orchestra Hall, The Kennedy Center, The Lincoln Center, and The XCel Energy Center.

Modern
Nieya holds a BFA in Dance and a BS in Psychology from the University of Georgia. After dedicating herself to the arts, she received opportunities to perform and choreograph both nationally and internationally throughout the years. Now she finds a home in Minneapolis dancing professionally with Threads Dance Project, teaching modern in the Lundstrum community.

Tap
Co-founder of Buckets and Tap Shoes, Andy Ausland is a talented Tap Dancer with over 20 years of experience. He and his brother Rick Ausland founded Buckets and Tap Shoes and perform all over the Twin Cities and Midwest. Andy runs tap classes for Lundstrum Performing Arts most experienced tappers.

Tap
Rick began dancing and drumming at the age of 3 and has been involved in the Twin Cites dance community since 1981. As a youth, he studied ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop and partner dancing at Larkin Dance Studio for 15 years. He founded Buckets and Tap Shoes with his brother Andy. Rick teaches tap all across the Twin Cities.

CHURCH BASEMENT LADIES Pastor Gunderson Cedar Summerstock Theatre Greta Grosch

SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN Don Lockwood Eagan Summer Theater Jodene Wartman

chor. Megan Kelly Hubbell

CINDERELLA Prince Topher Faith Theatre Company Steve Zehr

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM Demetrius, Quince Merrill Arts Center Stacy Mittag

PIPPIN Lewis University of Minnesota Joe Chvala

THE WINTER’S TALE Paulina, Dorcas, Bear Shakespeare’s Globe Education Kevin Bennett

Ballet, Tap, Contemporary & Modern
Jeremy Bensussan is currently in his sixth season as a performer with the Minnesota Dance Theatre. He earned a B.F.A. in Dance from the University of Minnesota in 2010. Jeremy has danced in New York with the Dusan Tynek Dance Company and The Bang Group, and locally with Minnesota Opera, Flying Foot Forum, Out on a Limb and other companies.

John appeared in the 2014 Tony nominated Broadway revival of Les Misérables. He was also a part of the cast of Les Misérables25th Anniversary National Tour where he went on for multiple performances as the understudy for both Jean Valjean and Enjolras. He has toured with the Trans-Siberian OrchestraWinter Tour for almost 2 decades.

John has performed regionally with companies such as The Ordway, The Bushnell with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, and Goodspeed Opera House. He has performed in Radio City Music Hall and every major arena in the continental United States with The Trans-Siberian Orchestra and is credited on their RIAA certified Platinum recording of Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s Night Castle. He also appeared on “Good Morning America” with the cast of 2014 revival of Les Misérables.

Vocal
Kathleen Bloom has been a professional singer and actor for almost 30 years, appearing in over 50 productions across the country. She has directed over 30 plays and musicals for schools and community theaters around the Twin Cities, including The Music Man, Peter Pan, and Oklahoma! here at Lundstrum.

Noah graduated Roosevelt University in Chicago with a BFA in musical theater/dance. He has  performed with the Guthrie Theater, Park Square Theatre, Children’s Theatre Company, History Theater, Porchlight Music Theatre, and the Chicago Fringe Opera. His recent credits include White Christmas  (Chanhassen Dinner Theater), Beauty and the Beast (Ordway), Million Dollar Quartet (Old Log Theater), and Romeo and Juliet with Collide Theatrical Dance Co. He has been a company member in Stone Soup Rhythms at the American Rhythm Center,  Ballet Arts Youth Ensemble at ABAA, Keane Sense of Rhythm’s Youth Tap Ensemble, and Elite Tap Feet at the Twin Cities Tap Festival.

Noah is currently performing, teaching and choreographing across the greater twin cities area.

 Time’s Up Thais (Lead) UMD Dir. Jenna Soleo-Shanks Marcus is Walking Lisa Johnson County Comm. College Dir. Amanda Meixelsperger A 

Inspecting Carol Zorah (Lead) JCCC Dir. Matthew Schmidli 

[title of show] Heidi JCCC Dir. Steven Eubank 

Assassins Squeaky Fromme JCCC Dir. Beate Pettigrew 

Aili grew up in the Twin Cities, where she cultivated an early love for dance. She is grateful to Hopkins Dance Center for her strong background in ballet technique and other styles of dance, as well as Continental Ballet Company where she received further training. She has performed professionally with Threads Dance Project, Bill Evans Dance, and Crash Dance Productions, and has worked additionally with many choreographers throughout the Twin Cities. Aili has been teaching dance for a diverse range of students at various studios since 2013, and she feels so fortunate and delighted to be welcomed back to the LPA faculty after spending time living, teaching, and dancing on the west coast.

Hip-Hop, Tap
Kaemella teaches Hip-Hop, Jazz and Tap. Kaemella began studying with Lundstrum as a Performing Arts student in 2008. She trained her way through the Performing Arts Workshop, the Broadway Arts Conservatory, the Acting Improv Company, and the Tap Company. In addition, she studied Private Voice. Kaemella has performed in the following Lundstrum summer productions: The Music Man (2011), Crazy for You (2012), Hello, Dolly! (2013), Once Upon a Mattress (2014), The Boyfriend (2016), and featured as the Dragon in Shrek (2018).

Musical Theater Repertoire
Having studied ballet with a Russian master as a child, and adding modern and jazz dance to her repertoire, Chrissy studied dance at the University of Minnesota under Loyce Houlton, founder of Minnesota Dance Theatre. After performing on Broadway (How to Succeed…, West Side Story, Sweet Charity) and in national tours, Chrissy returned to the Twin Cities, becoming the first choreographer for Chanhassen Dinner Theatre and a member of the original company. She has directed many musicals including The Boy Friend, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and West Side Story.

Acting
Working with our Dancemania class, Charles Fraser is an actor based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His stage credits include productions at the Guthrie Theater and Theatre de la Jeune Lune. He is the recipient of an Ivey Award along with his cast mates Wendy Lehr and James Craven for their ensemble performance in the Jungle Theatre’s production of Driving Miss Daisy. He sailed the Bahamas aboard Disney Cruise Line’s flagship, Disney Magic, as an improvisational actor in the Off Beat Comedy Club. In the feature film The Completely Remarkable, Utterly Fabulous Transformation of a Regular Joe, he played the title role. He is also featured in the short film Hinkleton. He can also be seen in a variety of regional and national television commercials.

Acting, Improvisation
Heather's experience ranges from musical theater, improv and interactive theater to television commercials and film. Her regional credits include Hairspray, Nuncrackers, Phantom, Christmas Again?!, The Pajama Game, Let's Kill the Boss and Ole and Lena Go to the Big Apple. Heather has directed multiple productions in the Midwest and is the 2007 recipient of the Bravo Award. She attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York and holds a B.S. degree in theater and Journalism from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

KRUMP, Hip Hop
Herb Johnson III studied several years at the Lundstrum and graduated from Perpich in 2010. Johnson is now an Urban & Street dance instructor at the University of Minnesota. He choreographs and performs solo and in groups 612 Crew, DeadPool, and Mixtape. Professional work includes iLuminate from America’s Got Talent, choreographing G-Easy’s Halftime Show 2018, and Super Bowl 52 Halftime Show 2018 with Justin Timberlake. Johnson was a 2017 McKnight Dancer Fellow and received a 2018 Momentum: New Dance Works commission and a grant from the Foundation of Contemporary Arts. Johnson III is a multi-disciplinary artist and Krump Scholar. As a leader of the Krump dance movement in Minnesota, he aspires to continue to build and bring visibility to the community.

Acting
Lamar is a Minneapolis-based actor who has performed on numerous stages around the Twin Cities, including The Guthrie, Penumbra, The Children’s Theater Company and Theatre Latte Da. His Guthrie credits include Blues for an Alabama Sky, Sally & Tom, The Tempest, West Side Story, Romeo and Juliet, A Christmas Carol and Sundays in the Park with George. He is a member of the Actors’ Equity Association.

Assistant to Boys PAW and Sing and Dance

ayce (Jason) Mulligan is a composer and music director. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Miami and master's degrees in music composition from the Peabody Conservatory of Music and Duke University. His music has been performed at various institutions including Southern Methodist University, Idyllwild Arts Academy, Source Song Festival, Florida International University, Emporia State University, the International Horn Symposium, and the International Clarinet Association Clarinetfest. In 2018 Jayce was the first composer to be featured on a Rising Star Recital as part of the Basically Beethoven Festival in Dallas, TX. In 2020 Jayce received a Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He served as the music director for Rent with the Duke University Department of Theatre Studies.

Jayce is focused on building community through the shared experience of music, particularly as it  regards to mental health and chronic illness. He  is currently the director of music at Saint Mary’s Episcopal Church in St Paul.

Emily Niesis an educator, choreographer, performing artist, and NASM-certified PT based in the Twin Cities. She recently relocated from New York City where she was on sub faculty at Broadway Dance Center and studied musical theatre and dance at Pace University. She's performed professionally at Lincoln Center, New York City Center, Pittsburgh CLO, and other various regional theaters on the East Coast. Some favorite performing credits include Cassie in A Chorus Line (dir. by Baayork Lee), Velma in West Side Story,and being the rehearsal stand-in for Sutton Foster in Jamboreeat NY City Center. Most recently, Emily was seen in the Transport Group's production of NINEIn Concert at Lincoln Center. Emily realized early on that her true passion in life is teaching and mentoring young dancers. She strives to create a process-driven and creativity-based environment where music and movement are fused together as a powerful tool for artistic development, connection, and release.

Peggy was the first to head up the acting department at Lundstrum in 2000 and had a tremendous impact on early programming and teaching. During her tenure, Peggy mentored many a student to and through successful careers, not only by coaching them but by providing the opportunities for professional advancement. Peggy also directed many shows at Lundstrum including The Magic Mrs. Piggle Wiggle (2006, 2013) and Bye Bye Birdie (2010). A graduate of the Stella Adler School in New York, Peggy has performed on Broadway with Tommy Tune as Mickey in My One & Only. Her extensive regional credits include The Guthrie (Jane Eyre, Guys and Dolls, Anything Goes, Christmas Carol), Seattle Children’s Theater (The Magic Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, Hello Dolly), Minnesota Opera (Kiss Me Kate, Don Pasquale), Chanhassen Dinner Theater (Always Patsy Cline, Annie Get Your Gun), The Tacoma’s Actor’s Guild (Guys and Dolls) and Seattle Repertory Theatre (Sundays in the Park with George, Harvey). Her film and television credits include Merry Kiss Cam (2022), The Sand Box (2016), Thin Ice (2011) and Northern Exposure (1993-1994).

Sing and Dance
Amy began dancing at the age of 4 at Chris and Anne’s Dance Studio in North Minneapolis. As a teenager, she had the privilege of taking ballet, tap and jazz from Dorothy Lundstrum. Under the tutelage of Anne Hedlund, Christine Maros and Dorothy Lundstrum, Amy gained knowledge of dance, life skills and determination that she passes along to her students at Lundstrum Performing Arts. Amy teaches the Sing and Dance classes along with technique classes and loves to watch her students of all ages express themselves through the arts.

Ballet
Sally Rousse, a native of Vermont, is a dance artist who performs, teaches, choreographs, curates, writes, and advocates. Branded “Renegade Ballerina” Sally has received two McKnight Fellowships for Dancers (2001/14), a Sage Award for "Outstanding Performer" (2013) and was named "Artist of the Year" by CityPages (2010). She co-founded James Sewell Ballet (JSB) in New York City in 1990, serving as its managing director and artistic associate throughout its move to Minneapolis in 1993. Since leaving JSB in 2014, Rousse’s site-specific works have taken dance off the tradition stage, into venues such as the Kwon Tung Pier in Hong Kong and up in the tree of a vacant Minneapolis lot. Her works feature artists who identify as LGBTTQ+, mature/aged, Disabled+, Femme, and BIPOC. Recently, as the Cowles Center’s first Artist in Residence, she engaged the local community through free workshops, art installations, tours, discussions, and the acclaimed promenade performance ICON SAM: Temple Dances (“Best Performance of 2018,” CityPages). Her choreography has been seen in both theatrical and commercial venues such as the Guthrie, Southern, and State Theaters; the Walker Art Center, MASS MoCA, the Cartoon Channel, and Harvard’s American Repertory Theatre. Rousse performed as a leading dancer with the Royal Ballet of Flanders and Ballet Chicago, dancing works by Maurice Béjart, Jiri Kylian, and over 75 new works created on her by contemporary and post-modern choreographers.

Sally is certified in Floor-Barre™️, Reiki, and Brain Gym® and currently contributes labor to two national organizations, Creating New Futures and BreakBank, which are focused, respectively, on ethics and equity in dance and performance, and promoting balanced screen usage while de-centering whiteness.

Hip Hop Company

Acting
Ben is a graduate of the the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training Program, who specializes in musical theater performance and movement, as well as classical theater performance. He has performed and directed with local theaters, such as Theatre Coupe d’Etat and The Orchard Theater Collective. Recent acting experiences include productions at Park Square Theatre, Theater at Monmouth, The Guthrie Theater, Kansas Classical Repertory Theatre, and Shakespeare’s Globe Education.

Assistant to Dancemania

Songwriting
Brenda Varda is a playwright, composer, performer, and songwriter. She has written three musicals, 300+ songs, music for media/movies...and just for fun. Her favorite musical project is "Alice Through the Wormhole" - written in collaboration with scientists at the California Institute of Technology. She is currently finishing "The Small Small Time" set in 1918. And is finishing a set of recordings of her jazz and americana music.

Jazz, Performing Arts Workshops, Sing and Dance, Tap

Modern
Roxane Wallace has been active in the arts as a performer, instructor, choreographer and teaching artist since graduating from UC Berkeley in 1993 where she attained a BA in Philosophy and a minor in Ethnic Studies. She was seen nationally and internationally as a principal artist with Stuart Pimsler Dance and Theater Company for 15 years and has been working with Paula Mann/Time Track Productions forever 10years. She has also performed in works by Meredith Monk (Quarry, Mercy), Vincent Mantsoe (Kutu), Marciano Silva Dos Santos (Motiro) and Shawn McConneloug (She Captains) as well as in numerous works by Leah Nelson, Morris Johnson and others. Mrs. Wallace was voted “Best Dancer” in the City Pages “Best of the Twin Cities”, awarded a Minnesota Sage Award for Outstanding Performer, and honored to be named as a 2008 McKnight Artist Fellow in Dance. As a choreographer, she creates original, socially conscious works. She provides inspiration and dance instruction through Zenon Dance Studio and School and Lundstrum Performing Arts, and as a teaching artist for the VocalEssence WITNESS Program and the Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts.

Melissa is a performing and teaching artist originally from Chicago, IL. She's been dancing, singing, and acting from a young age and continued her education at Viterbo University where she received her BFA in Music Theatre and Minor in Dance. She has experience performing in both professional and community theatre, as well as numerous theme park productions. Melissa began teaching dance in 2021 at All About Dance in Chicago, teaching ballet, tap, and jazz. She also has been teaching private voice and piano lessons for years. Upon her recent relocation to Minneapolis, she started teaching technique classes at Dominion Dance Center and working for Slow Road Photography. Melissa is thrilled to join the community at Lundstrom and is looking forward to whatever comes next!

Sing and Dance, Performing Arts Workshop, Conservatories
Since 2003, Katie has led Lundstrum technique classes in ballet, jazz and tap for all ages. She has trained LPA students from four years old through high school. Katie holds a B.A. in Theater from Butler University with additional training from Center Theater in Chicago. Her dance training began at the Preparatory School for Performing Arts in Winona, MN and continued at the prestigious Butler University dance program in Indianapolis. Her Minnesota teaching credits include The Children’s Theatre, Zenon, Young Dance and Stage Coach Theater Arts School. Katie often directs Lundstrum’s summer musicals.

Mike Vasich is a music educator and pianist-composer based in Minneapolis. Mike holds a B.A. in Music from Macalester College, and a M.A. in Teaching and a K-12 MN teaching license in Instrumental and Classroom Music from the University of St. Thomas. For the last several years Mike has directed the music program at St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists (SPCPA) and also works as Music Director for First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis where he directs the choirs and plays piano for services. Aside from teaching, Mike is a busy performer in jazz, indie rock, and chamber music realms around the Twin Cities, and enjoys Minnesota life with his partner, Molly and their two children.