The Company: Biographies

Megan Brunsvold is originally from Fargo, ND, where she received her early dance training at the Red River Dance and Performing Company, under the direction of Kathy and Eddie Gasper, and at the Trollwood Performing Arts School as a student of both dance and theater. She also spent summers training at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and with the Grand Rapids Ballet Company. She went on to receive her B.F.A. in Modern Dance, graduating with Honors from the University of Utah. During her career in New York City, she had the pleasure of performing in dance and theatrical works by Daniel Charon, Alexandra Beller Dances, Deganit Shemy, Hope Clark, Chase Dance Theater, Kristi Spessard, and Molissa Fenley, among others.  She had the privilege of dancing with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet in the critically acclaimed revival of Berlioz’s Les Troyens and Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps, both choreographed by Doug Varone.  Her recent collaborations in theater include the original works The Pod Project and Puncture by Nancy Bannon, and Edit by Jess K. Smith at Columbia University. She spent six years on faculty at Trollwood Performing Arts School and was the mainstage choreographer for their productions of Fiddler on the Roof, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and The Wiz. She was also on faculty as rehearsal director and instructor in the Young Dancer’s Program at Summerstages Dance Festival in Concord, MA.  She is thrilled to be here in Seattle, living close to family for the first time in seventeen years, as well as working with her longtime mentor and friend, Jennifer Salk.

Natalie Desch originally from New Castle, PA, received her BFA and the Martha Hill Prize from the Juilliard School under the direction of Benjamin Harkarvy. From 1996 to 2001 she performed with the Limón Dance Company in an array of classic twentieth-century works, (Limón, Kylián, Maslow, McKayle, Tudor) as well as being a collaborator in original works (Haim, Siegenfeld, Varone). In 2001 she joined Doug Varone and Dancers and was part of the creation of over twenty-five works with Varone, including collaborations at the Metropolitan Opera, Opera Colorado, Minnesota Opera, Longleaf Opera, Palm Beach Opera, and the Aquila Theater Company. She served as co-rehearsal director for the company from 2009 to 2012. Additionally Natalie has worked with choreographers Ariane Anthony, Daniel Charon, Adriane Fang, Toshiko Oiwa and Jonathan Riedel. She has taught at Limón and Varone summer workshops, the Bates Dance Festival, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and at universities around the country. A faculty member at Hunter College since 2005, Natalie also teaches at the 92nd Street Y and Dance New Amsterdam in NYC. She also has staged the works of Varone, Limón and Kylián on companies and universities, domestically and abroad.  Natalie’s choreography has been presented at the Juilliard Theater, Alice Tully Hall, the Clark Studio Theater, SUNY Purchase, the Limón Dance Company Choreography Project, the Dumbo Dance Festival and at Regional Dance America festivals.

While touring internationally with MOMIX, Jamie Johnson performed upon world-renowned stages, such as the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the Joyce Theater in New York and Teatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro. In addition to performing with the company, Ms. Johnson served as dance captain and taught company class. Previously, she was a principal dancer with Boulder Ballet, Ohio Dance Theatre and Ballet Pacifica, and also danced with Sacramento Ballet. Her repertoire includes the works of Gerald Arpino, George Balanchine, Seán Curran, Moses Pendleton, Marius Petipa and Michael Smuin. Graduating cum laude, Ms. Johnson holds a B.F.A. with a major in ballet and a B.A. with a major in English from the University of Utah. She also trained during summers at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Jacobs Pillow, Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet and Ballet West. She has been on faculty and taught master classes throughout the United States––notably at Interlochen Arts Camp, the University of Wyoming, and Sacramento Ballet's Summer Intensive. Her choreography has been performed by Boulder Ballet II, Interlochen Dance Ensemble and West Texas A&M University Dance Ensemble.

Bruce McCormick received his B.F.A. from the Juilliard School under the direction of Benjamin Harkarvy. Originally from New Jersey, he trained with the Vineland Regional Dance Company and the Pennsylvania Ballet, spending summers at the School of American Ballet, Boston Ballet, and as a private student of Maestro Héctor Zaraspe in Argentina and Ecuador. From 1998-2000, Bruce worked under both Lawrence Rhodes and Gradimir Pankov with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. He spent the next four years with the Bavarian State Ballet in Munich under the direction of Ivan Liška. From 2004- 2007, Bruce worked with contemporary choreographer Stijn Celis at the Bern Ballet, and after a year of freelancing, returned to the company as a soloist and ballet master under the direction of Cathy Marston for two seasons. In 2010, Bruce was invited by fellow Juilliard alum, Stephen Shropshire to be the Assistant Artistic Director of North Netherlands Dance in Groningen, where he worked through 2012. During his career, Bruce has performed in ten countries on four continents in works by George Balanchine, Mats Ek, William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, José Limón, Ohad Naharin, John Neumeier, Marius Petipa, Anthony Tudor, and many more. He has assisted choreographers Karole Armitage, Emanuel Gat, Itzik Galili, Andrea Miller, and Medhi Walerski, among others. He is also a 200-hour Kripalu and 500-hour Sacred Lasya Certified Yoga Instructor.

Jason Ohlberg is originally from Fresno, CA. He received his formal dance training at the State University of New York at Purchase from 1991 to 1995 and completed his BFA at Cornish College of the Arts in 2013. Professionally, Jason has danced with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Dance Kaleidoscope, Jan Erkert and dancers, and Wade Madsen and Dancers. In 1997, Jason founded Same Planet Different World Dance Theater in Chicago where he acted as artistic director and head choreographer for four years. Jason's choreography has been seen throughout the country and locally on the apprentice company of Spectrum Dance Theater, Men in Dance, Cornish Dance Theater, Fremont Danceworks, The Seattle Children's theater, Chop Shop and Arc Dance Productions. In 2013 Seattle Dance Project named him resident choreographer for the company's sixth season. Jason has been on faculty at Barat College, the school of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, the University of Washington, Cornish College of the Arts, Spectrum Dance Theater, Arc Dance Productions,Dance Fremont and the Y.A.I. program of the Seattle Children's Theater. Jason has also been a certified Pilates instructor for over ten years.

Pablo Piantino is originally from Mendoza, Argentina, where he began dancing at the age of fourteen. His training includes private seminars with Hector Zaraspe and studies at both the Colón Theatre Ballet School and The Juilliard School where he received his BFA. After dancing with both the Colón Theatre Ballet Company and the Juilliard Dance Ensemble, Pablo joined the San Francisco Ballet in 1999 where he danced a broad span of classical and neo-classical repertory. Then, in 2005 he became a member of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and has had the pleasure of working with choreographers such as Nacho Duato, Ohad Naharin, Jiří Kylián, Mats Ek, William Forsythe, Twyla Tharp, Johan Inger, Jorma Elo and Alejandro Cerrudo, among others.

Originally from Detroit MI, Storme Sundberg holds a BA with a majro in psychology from the State University of New York at Buffalo and began her work as a professional dancer in Buffalo with Pick of the Crop Dance. She is a long- time member of Jordan Fuchs Dance and has also worked with Rebecca Lazier/ Terrain, Noemie LaFrance, Stephan Koplowitz, Meredith Monk and Douglas Dunn, among others. Most recently, she has performed with Christopher Williams, Liz Santora, Body Cartography Project, Abigail Levine, Michou Dzabo, and Jennifer Chin.  Storme's dance improvisations were featured alongside John Hollenbeck's Claudia Quintet and her choreography has been presented at Lincoln Center Out-Of- Doors, the Flea Theater, Joyce Soho, Queens Theater In The Park and for students at the 92nd St Y/Harkness Dancer Center and the Ballet School of Stamford. Other choreography credits include Into the Woods and Much Ado About Nothing. Theater credits include Harp Song For a Radical (dir. Jeffrey Fracé), Elizabeth Rex (dir. Peter Richards), and Give and Go (dir. Andrew Garman). Storme teaches yoga in private, corporate, and studio settings.

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