Eclectic Edge Ensemble

The Artists

Karis Sloss (Artistic Director)
Karis graduated from the University of Minnesota with a BA in Dance and Theatre Arts. She has been studying dance for over 20 years. She has been working with The Eclectic Edge Ensemble for the past 7 years producing work around the city. They have performed at The Ritz Theatre, Intermedia Arts, Illusion Theatre, Hopkins Center for the Arts and 5 MN Fringe Festivals. Her other choreography credits include work at SteppingStone Theatre, Children's Theatre, Loring Playhouse, Illusion Theatre, University of MN and College of St. Catherine. Karis works full-time at SteppingStone Theatre as their Development and Community Relations Manager and teaches dance at BALLAREteatro. She is determined to keep Jazz dance alive in Minneapolis.

Irving Amigon is currently a junior at the University of Minnesota in pursuit of a BA in Dance as well as a BA in Biology, Society, and Environment. He has had the opportunity to work with Laurie Carlos, and the amazing faculty at the U of M dance program. This is Irving's first time with EEE.  In his spare time, he really enjoys cooking and cleaning.   

Gabriel Anderson holds undergraduate degrees from the Claremont College Consortium in southern California, and a Master degree from the University of Minnesota. Gabriel has had the pleasure (and privilege) of studying with and performing in the works of many talented dance makers, including: Maggie Bergeron (MN), Meg Foley (PA), Mark Haim (WA), Mathew Janczewski (MN), Nicholas Leichter (NY), John Pennington (CA), Joel Smith (CA), Galen Treuer (MN), among myriad others. Gabriel was a company member with ARENA Dances by Mathew Janczewski from 2005--2010, and is off to pursue his MFA in dance this fall., and is excited to be performing with EEE in their summer show! 

Heather Annis is excited to perform with EEE for her second season. She has been dancing for 19 years and currently graduated from the University of Minnesota with a BFA in dance. She enjoys studying many styles of dance, but has a soft spot for jazz and contemporary. Heather has worked with many choreographers and teachers, and recently performed "Escargot" choreographed by Louis Falco and restaged by Alan Sener in the University's fall show "Dance Revolutions". She has also performed pieces by Paula Mann, Karla Grotting, and Linda Talcott-Lee. Apart from performing, Heather will be teaching and subbing around the Twin Cities. When Heather is not dancing she enjoys spending time with her husband Joey, laughing with friends, and playing with animals.

Jeremy Bensussan is a Minnesota native and recent graduate of the University of Minnesota Dance Program. His company credits include Out on a Limb Dance Company (since 2001), Joe Chvala and the Flying Foot Forum (since 2005), Christopher Watson Dance Company (since 2009), and Eclectic Edge Ensemble (since 2009). Other credits include Keane Sense of Rhythm, St. Paul City Ballet, Continential Ballet, and a slew of Twin Cities choreographers. He holds six certificates of recognition in tap dance through the Tradition in Tap workshop in NYC. He is honored to dance the works of Karis and Zoe, and thrilled to share the stage with the amazing EEE dancers. Hi mom!

Sarah Beck-Esmay is currently earning her Masters in Elementary Education from the University of Minnesota where she completed her BFA in dance and graduated summa cum laude in 2008.  She teaches and choreographs for Tonka Dance Works and Irondale High School, frequently performs with Erinn Liebhard, is an ensemble member of Aniccha Arts led by Pramila Vasudevan and most recently joined Ananya Dance Theater.  She loves performing with her family--and with good friends who feel like family--and is honored to be on stage in her first year as a member of EEE.

Emily Broeker is pursuing her B.A. in Dance from St. Olaf College. She has been dancing for 11 years, and especially enjoys tap and jazz dance. This is her 4th year as a member of EEE. In her spare time, she enjoys eating food (any kind is great), and playing four square. 

Desiree Dantona is a 22-year-old recent graduate of the University of Minnesota.  There, she earned a BA in dance as well as an EMT-B certification.  Desiree discovered her ardor for dance growing up in Waconia and now is a dance teacher in Eden Prairie.  She has been a member of EEE for 4 years and would like to dedicate her first plié to her loving, supportive family.

Allison Doughty currently performs and teaches dance in the Minneapolis area, and holds a BFA in Dance from the University of Minnesota. Her stage performances are wide-spread, ranging from concert modern, ballet, jazz and tap works, to cabaret shows with comic Louie Anderson. In addition to her work with EEE, Allison has been dancing with The Chamber Ballet of Saint Paul, where she was a founding member. Locally, she has also performed in works choreographed by Uri Sands, Anna Sokolow, Joe Chvala and Zoe Sealy. Allison has performed and studied on scholarship with Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, STEPS on Broadway and American Spirit Dance Company. Her film credits include a commercial in which she played one of the most recognizable and lovable Sesame Street characters, and she has danced in numerous industrials around the country. Allison is also a certified yoga instructor, and in her spare time can be found teaching yoga, or practicing on her own mat. Allison would like to thank her husband, Drew, for his unwavering support of her passion for dance and the crazy schedule it requires!

 Mallory Dykema is in her third season with Eclectic Edge Ensemble.  She received her early training from the Performing Arts Center in Waconia, MN and later at the University of MN dance program.  During her years at the University, Mallory danced choreography by Mathew Janczeweski, Karla Grotting, Cyndi Gutierrez-Garner, and Maggie Bergeron.  Furthermore, she had the pleasure of being cast in reconstructions of Anna Sokolow’s Rooms, Trisha Brown’s Planes, and as a soloist in Jose Limon’s Missa Brevis.  Following her graduation in 2009, Mallory was given the exciting opportunity to choreograph movement for the musical The Fantastics at North Central University in downtown Minneapolis.  Along with performing and choreographing, she teaches jazz, ballet, and sacred dance at Prairie School of Dance.  Aside from her dance ventures, Mallory is training to become a freelance makeup artist and preparing for a baby arriving in August!  

Nina Ebbighausen graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in architecture.  She received a Minnesota Young Architects Award in 2004 and currently both practices and teaches at the University of MN.  In her "spare" time, Nina dances as much as possible.  In addition to dancing with Eclectic Edge Ensemble, she has recently performed choreography by Cathy Wright, Jeffrey Peterson, Tamin Totzke and Dustin Haug.  This is her fourth season with Eclectic Edge Ensemble. Nina would love to design a dance studio.  Feel free to contact her if you have a commission.

 Vanessa Fischer has earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from Hamline University, and recently graduated from Creighton University with her Doctor of Pharmacy degree.  A dancer for 20+ years, she teaches ballet, choreographs, and performs with The Dance Center in W. St Paul.  This is her first season with EEE and has enjoyed meeting and working with a great group of dancers! 

Susanne Grochett moved from Houston, TX, to Minneapolis, MN, to complete a BA in Dance from the University of MN; from Minneapolis to NYC in hot pursuit of a dance career; and now, currently, back to Minneapolis. Her love of dance remains intact. Susanne has performed with the national tour of Copacabana, Joe Chvala’s Flying Foot Forum, Jeffrey Peterson, Red Dive, Edisa Weeks and Zoe Sealy. Susanne appreciates, more than ever, the joy which dancing inevitably offers her.  

Kristin Grohs graduated in 2003 with a BA in Dance and a minor in Education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and has been training since a young age in ballet, modern, jazz and tap. Since relocating to Minneapolis in 2003, Kristin has performed with the Eclectic Edge Ensemble, Kinetic Evolutions and the Christopher Watson Dance Company. In 2008, Kristin finished a two-year program to obtain a Minnesota teaching license in K-12 Dance and has since taught at Apple Valley High School and is currently a dance teacher at Kennedy and Jefferson High Schools in Bloomington. Kristin is also a free-lance teacher and choreographer in the Twin Cities and surrounding areas. She loves dancing for EEE and looks forward to its future endeavors!

Christa Anderson-Hill a graduate of the University of Minnesota, Christa earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance.  She is the director of Tonka DanceWorks and Creo; Arts & Dance Conservatory.  She has performed original Choreography by Dough Varone, Shapiro and Smith, Zoe Sealy, Joe Chvala, and Reginald Yates.  2010 marks her 4th year with EEE.   Christa is the choreographer of original performances: Esther: For Such a Time As This, performed by Cathedral Schools and Enticed, performed by The Saint Paul City Ballet.  Christa is a wife to Brendan and a mommy to Lulu.

Heather Klopchin is an Associate Professor of Dance at St. Olaf College.  She has performed with ARENA Dances, Zenon Dance Company, Linda Lehovec & Dancers, Joe Chvala Flying Foot Forum, and Dancing People Company. Heather is excited to be performing with Eclectic Edge Ensemble.  

Andrew Lester
Andrew holds a BFA in Dance from the University of Minnesota, in addition to performing his own work at the regional American College Dance Festival, he has also had the honor of dancing at the Kennedy center, and for Merce Cunningham. Mr. Lester has guested with the Ethnic Dance Theatre, Metropolitan Ballet, and Saint Paul City Ballet School.

Erinn Liebhard A 2007 BFA Dance graduate of the U of M, her choreography has been seen with the Eclectic Edge Ensemble, Alberta Dance Explosions in Calgary, Canada, and in independently produced shows at the Red Eye, the Lowry Lab, and the Bedlam Theatre in last summer’s sold-out project Rhythmically Speaking, a local jazz choreographer's collective she co-produced. She performs regularly with the Eclectic Edge Ensemble, the Wild Goose Chase Cloggers, and frequently in pick-up projects, having worked with St. Paul City Ballet, Karla Grotting, Judith James Ries, Kaleena Miller, Zoe Sealy, and Decidely Jazz Danceworks of Calgary, where she recently lived, trained and performed. She currently works as the Booking Assistant at Bedlam Theatre, and enjoys cultivating too many interests as once; namely, expanding her knowledge of jazz, social, world and vernacular dance and music to create projects that encourage their development in the Twin Cities. www.erinnliebhard.com. 

Jennifer Mack
Jennifer holds a B.A. in Arts Management and Dance from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. In 2004 she moved to St. Paul, MN and joined Continental Ballet and began appearing with the Eclectic Edge Ensemble in 2007. She's also had the pleasure to dance in Montreal & Minneapolis with: Deborah Jinza-Thayer's 'Movement Architecture, Rosy Simas Dance Projects, Spandrel, Ray Terrill and Dancers, and area choreographers: Joseph Bingham, Kari Jensen, Anna Resele, Dawn Strom, Sharon Varosh, Vanessa Voskuil and Cathy Wright. Her own choreography has also appeared on various stages in collaboration with local musicians, 'Ada Jane' and Ben Siems. Previously, she was the Assistant to the Director of Rochester Dance Company and studied Hungarian folk dance while living in Szeged, Hungary for a year.

 Jacob May This is Jacob's first year dancing with the Eclectic Edge Ensemble. Jacob studied dance at Fourth Street Dance Centre in White Bear Lake and has just graduated from Mahtomedi Senior High School. In the fall, Jacob will be attending DePaul University.  

Megan Mohr : has been dancing since she was 3 years old. She started dancing at dance studios in her hometown, Inver Grove Heights, MN. In high school she was a proud member of her high school's dance team, and continued to dance in numerous dance competitions. Megan contintued to dance into college and obtained her B.A. in both Dance and Psychology from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She has been with EEE since 2007 and loves every moment she gets to dance with all the lovely dancers in the company. She currently teaches all age ranges dance and musical theater. Megan dedicates all her performance to her amazing husband and family.

Becky Olson: has been dancing since 1988 and has been performing in Minneapolis since 2003. She has worked with many great choreographers during her time in Minneapolis including, Roxanne Wallace, Galen Treuer, Olive Bieringa, Justin Jones, and Laura Holway. She has been a company member of EEE since 2006 and currently serves on the board.  She has loved working with Karis over the past few years. In addition to performing with EEE, you can also see her tap dancing around town in the Como Avenue Jug Band on a regular basis.

Crystal Pelletier: graduated from the University of MN in 2008, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. Throughout her studies she had the opportunity to work with artists such as Ananya Chatterjea, Bebe Miller, Sarah Stackhouse, Sardono Kusumo, as well as local artists Shapiro and Smith Dance,  Jeffery Petterson and Cathy Wright. Prior to her studies at the U of MN she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology with a Dance Minor from the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire. While at UW-Eau Claire she participated in Concert Dance Company, a student run dance organization that brought in guest artists and traveled and performed at the American College Dance Festival. In her spare time she enjoys teaching tap, jazz, and ballet at the studio where she grew up dancing.  This is her second year with EEE and she has grown to love and appreciate this fabulous troupe of dancers.

Jeffrey Peterson holds an MFA in dance from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and a BFA in Dance from the University of MN. His professional work includes the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps, JAZZDANCE, ARENA Dances, Stephan Koplowitz, Clare Byrne Dance, DELiRiOUS Dance Co., The Minnesota Opera. This is his first season performing with EEE.   

Katrina Schleisman grew up in Minneapolis dancing at Lake Harriet dance studio. She graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2002 with a B.A. in philosophy & psychology, and was part of the dance major program in 2003-04. She has performed in works of various local choreographers in addition to creating her own work, including a piece created for EEE that premiered in 2008. She’s had the pleasure of dancing with EEE since 2006 and is also a board member. Katrina is currently working toward her Ph.D in cognitive neuroscience at the University of Minnesota, and can also be seen out and about playing washboard for the Como Ave Jug Band. Future plans include dancing until she keels over.