STUDIO STORIES: REMINISCING ON TWIN CITIES DANCE HISTORY

Joanna Lees (she/her) is a choreographer, performer, producer, director, filmmaker, and educator based in Minneapolis, MN. Her current research involves cultivating empowering and healing through trauma-informed artistic practices. Originally from the Washington, D.C. area, Joanna graduated cum laude with distinction with a BFA in Dance and a minor in Business from The Ohio State University (2007). There, she was an Arts Scholar and the recipient of the Denman Undergraduate Research Forum Scholarship. Joanna studied with various artists including Bebe Miller, Susan Hadley, Karen Eliot Abigail Yager and Ming-Lung Yang. She also performed in Doug Varone’s Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring) in collaboration with BalletMet Columbus.  Joanna moved to Minnesota in 2008, performing in projects and showcasing her choreography independently. In 2011, she co-founded the Minneapolis dance company, Alternative Motion Project alongside Kristin Howe. Joanna serves as the Artistic + Executive Director and has led in creating performing opportunities for artists, educational outreach programs for public school students, and innovating within audience engagement initiatives. As a performer, Joanna has worked with Body Watani (Noelle + Leila Awadallah), Alexandra Bodnarchuk, Khary Jackson, Erin Drummond, Penelope Freeh, Jennifer Glaws, Kristin Howe, Heather Klopchin, Erinn Liebhard, Blake Nellis, Darrius Strong, and Taja Will.  Joanna’s work has been presented by the College of DuPage (Chicago area), The Moving Collective (Louisville, KY) and at  Midwest Regional Alternative Dance Festival (Kalamazoo, MI – 2013, 2026). Joanna enjoys the collaborative process and has worked with artists in different genres, including composer Lee Kesselman, visual artist René Romero Schuler, the Grand Symphonic Wind Ensemble, soprano Lindsay Kesselman, string quartet 4spiel, and spoken word artist Cole Sarar . She continues to develop creative work with her long-time collaborator, award-winning sound and multimedia artist, Dameun Strange.  In 2020, Joanna earned her Masters of Fine Arts degree in Modern Dance at The University of Utah (Salt Lake City). Whilst there, she served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the School of Dance and received the L. Scott Marsh Mentorship Award & a University Teaching Assistantship. Joanna performed works by Charles O. Anderson, Stephen Koester, Sara Pickett, and Christine McMillan with guided mentorship from Molly Heller and Eric Handman. She performed in work by Doug Varone in collaboration with Doug Varone and Dancers and was selected as a choreographer for Varone’s DEVICES mentorship program, showcasing her work, Spiral Into Control, in New York City (2018). An excerpt of her MFA thesis, BECOMING, was selected to represent the University of Utah in performance for the American College Dance Association Northwest Regional Conference at Gonzaga University (2020).  Joanna was a faculty member at Winona State University (2022-2024) where her original work, Entropy, represented WSU at the 2024 Northwest-Central Regional Conference (Northfield, MN). She has also led classes at University of Utah, St. Olaf College, College of DuPage, Universidad de Panamá, and DeSales University and has been a teaching artist at local studios, Zenon Dance School and Threads Dance Project.  

Dana Luebke is the Founder; Vice-President of the Board of Directors: SUN.ERGOS, A COMPANY OF THEATRE AND DANCE, 1977 – 1985;
Director of the Board, 1985 to 2008; Ex-Officio 2008 to present; Artistic and Choreographic Director, 1978 to present; Dancer, Actor, Choreographer, Designer, Teacher, 1977 to present; Licensed Brain Gym® Instructor/Consultant, 1989 to present

Well-versed in modern, ballet and contemporary dance, Dana has performed over 200 roles, creating the original, principal roles in 80 major dances in over forty-five years as an artist. Beginning his career with the Minnesota Dance Theatre in Minneapolis, he has since danced in New York City with Sara Sugihara and the Family, in Canada and the United States with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and was Guest Artist with the Washington Ballet.

He studied in Italy, France, England, Scotland, the United States and at the Banff School of Fine Arts in Canada as well as teaching both adults and children at the community, college and university levels. The recipient of two Gulbenkian Fellowships in Dance, he has studied at the Laban Centre in London and the International Course for Professional Choreographers and Composers in Surrey.

He has worked with Murray Louis, Nina Weiner and Glen Tetley in choreography and Gisela Reber in folk-dance. He has done choreography on Balada Roumanian Folk Dance Ensemble, for the Alberta Games Show, Theatre Calgary, The Royal Scottish Country Dance Society and Menaka Thakkar. He is a regis- tered Brain-Gym teacher and award winner for outstanding service to the Educational Kinesiology Foundation for overseeing the translation of Brain Gym into Croatian. 

Dana was given Honorary Citizenship in the Zupanija of Sibenik, Croatia, for his artistic and humanitarian work with refugees of the
Balkan Wars from 1991-1995, and most recently received the Classic Lake Conference Award in Fine Arts in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for his artistic and humanitarian work.

At present, he teaches Brain Gym® to the pre-School children in the community of Priddis, Alberta, from September through June of each year, and has done so since 2001. He teaches Brain-Body Fitness and Brain Gym® for Families at the Sheep River Library in Turner Valley, Alberta, workshops in Brain Gym® for Pre-School Teachers and Parents and Switched-On Learning for Teachers and Parents in Calgary, Alberta.

His training in Brain Gym®, Specialized Kinesiology and Movement Literacy includes: Edu-K in Depth; Vision Circles; Creative Vision; Total-Core Repatterning; Movement Exploration; Integration of Birth and Change; Integrations of Dynamic and Postural Reflexes.
Rhythmic Movement Training (Levels 1-3); Fear Paralysis Reflex; Facial Reflexes/Language and Bonding Language of Dance Foundations, Part 1 and 2; Elementary Labanotation.

He has been and continues to be a cultural ambassador for the arts in urban and rural communities, having represented Canada to 22 different countries on 5 continents, by performing, and by teaching and mentoring thousands of children and adults celebrating the differences and recognizing the similarities among peoples and cultures in order to promote the arts and breakdown prejudice.

“Dana Luebke dances…compelling movement images, strong yet sparse, stark in their simplicity, virile in their controlled energy…a beautiful intensity pervades his whole performance.” Brian Cooper, THE STAGE AND TELEVISION TODAY London

Dancer, Licensed Brain Gym® Instructor/Consultant

Orlando Hunter-Valentine is a choreographer who researches, illustrates and creates from a same gender loving African-U.S born perspective. A descendent of the great migration, great grandchild of farmers, their work tackles issues resulting from a capitalistic imperialist patriarchal white supremacist system. Orlando works as a Hood Agroartupreneur encouraging dance and agriculture for embodied and ecological sustainability. Recently Orlando received their MFA in Dance with a specialized study in Agriculture and Technology at The Ohio State University.

Gemma Isaacson is a Minneapolis-based dance artist originally from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. She began her professional performance career at the age of 15 with Minnesota Ballet before attending the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (BFA Dance, summa cum laude).

Throughout the course of her freelance career, Gemma has originated roles in works by notable stage directors/choreographers across genres, including Patrick Acogny (Contempo Physical Dance), Berit Ahlgren (HoneyWorks), Hannah Benditt (Lakes Area Music Festival), Dimitri Chamblas, Karen L. Charles (Threads Dance Project), Non Edwards, Daniel Ellis (Minnesota Opera and Utah Opera), Eric Sean Fogel (Minnesota Opera and Portland Opera), Nildinha Fonsêca (Contempo Physical Dance), Zhauna Franks (Strange Loop Projects), Jennifer Glaws (Jagged Moves), Denyce Graves (Minnesota Opera), Helen Hatch (Hatch Dance), Jennifer Ilse (Off-Leash Area), Nic Lincoln, Hannah MacKenzie-Margulies (Little Tanz Theater), Alanna Morris (I A.M. Arts), Valerie Oliveiro, Kerry Parker, Sophia Pimsler, Stuart Pimsler and Suzanne Costello (Stuart Pimsler Dance & Theater), Ashwini Ramaswamy (Ragamala Dance Company), Marciano Silva dos Santos (Contempo Physical Dance), Heidi Spesard-Noble (Minnesota Opera), Keturah Stickann (Minnesota Opera), and Yuki Tokuda. 

Since 2020, Gemma has created and performed her own work at the Off-Leash Art Box (Minneapolis), The Shed (St. Paul), Tofte Lake Center (Ely), the Minneapolis Club (Minneapolis), and DIY spaces around the Twin Cities. In 2021, she was a National Emerging Artist resident at Tofte Lake Center in Ely, Minnesota. 

During the 2024-25 season, Gemma was delighted to be engaged as a guest faculty member at Minnesota Opera, devising and leading a movement workshop series for the Resident Artist cohort. Gemma Isaacson is a 2026 McKnight Dancers Fellow. (gemmaisaacson.com)

DAVENTE GILREATH  was born and raised in Minneapolis. His dance training began at Perpich Center for Arts Education where he was exposed to styles of dance including modern, ballet, jazz, african, and contact improvisation. Gilreath  furthered his dance training at the University of Minnesota where he worked with professors such as Ananya Chatterjea, Erin Thompson, and Toni Pierce‐Sands. During this time he was also able to perform and create work with Minnesota‐based companies such as Threads Dance Project and Contempo Physical Dance (with Marciano Silva dos Santos). Gilreath Joined Garth Fagan Dance in 2014 and during his 8 years with the company performed numerous key works from the Fagan cannon around the country including new works choreographed by PJ Pennewell the company director. He was promoted to senior company member and appointed the Director of the Garth Fagan Dance Student Ensemble. He also taught Intermediate/Advanced Fagan Technique for the Garth Fagan Dance School and for the Garth Fagan Summer Movement Institute. Gilreath is now a dance instructor at The University of Minnesota where he teaches Contemporary, African Diasporic Movement and Jazz. In the last 4 years since returning to Minneapolis he has danced for choreographers Joe Chvala, Darrius Strong, and is in his second season with Ananya Dance Theatre. He has set choreography for senior students at TU Dance, Perpich Center for Arts Education, Saint Paul Conservatory, PiM Arts  and in his own solo work “Rumination” (which premiered in Choreographers' Evening, Walker Art Center, Nov 2024).  Davente Gilreath is a 2025 McKnight Dancers Fellow. 

Marciano Silva dos Santos is a Brazilian native recognized by the American Folkloric Society as a folk artist of unique and exceptional ability. He is the Founder and Artistic Director of Contempo Physical Dance, where his extensive research has culminated in a dynamic fusion of Afro-Brazilian and contemporary dance. His professional dancing and choreography have earned widespread acclaim; he was named “Best Dancer” by City Pages, hailed as “one of the most graceful movers on any Twin Cities stage” by the Star Tribune, and called “one of the hottest choreographers in town” by Minnesota Monthly Magazine. He is also 2020 McKnight Fellowship for Dancers. He has served as a panelist for the Minnesota Sage Awards for Dance, USArtists International, NEA-National Endowment for the Arts and the Minnesota State Arts Board. 

Growing up, Rachel trained, performed, and taught primarily with Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago. She moved to the Twin Cities to attend Macalester College, graduating in 2018 with a BA in Geography, and has since performed in works by Contempo Physical, Melissa Clark, Leila Awadallah, Off-Leash Area, A Cripple’s Dance, Mathew Janczewski, Javan Mngrezzo, Annika Johansson, Analog Dance Works, Zoë Koenig, Xina, Judith H Shuǐ Xiān, and Black Label Movement.

Rachel’s choreography engages themes of home/place/violence/time/throughline from queer, jewish, diasporist, and surrealist perspectives. Her work has been presented by Alternative Motion Project, Franconia Sculpture Garden, Black Label Movement, Walker Art Center, Threads Dance Project, and Red Eye Theater. Primarily a movement artist, she also enjoys playing with sound, set, and costume design, and in textile and textual arts.

Off-stage, Rachel works as a Program Director at Cow Tipping Press: teaching and publishing creative writing by adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities.

Dance Rec Pickup League is a group of friends who recreate together. Leslie O’Neill, Sarah Baumert, Erika Hansen, Gabriel Anderson, Jamie Ryan-Karels and Eva Mohn design proposals, scores, games and questions as a way to make dances. 

A native of the North Chicago suburbs, Ronna Rochell started dancing at age 5. At that young age, she started with creative movement classes, and by the time she was in junior high, she had evolved into a serious modern dance student. She was fortunate to have a fabulous teacher from junior high and high school who taught her the technique of Martha Graham and Alwin Nikolai.  Her dance teacher’s name was Carol Walker, who later went on to serve as Dean of the Department of Dance at SUNY Purchase. At age 16, after studying dance for a summer at the American Dance Festival at Duke University, Ronna auditioned and made it into one of the premiere modern dance companies in Chicago, the Joseph Holmes Dance Theatre.  She was an apprentice with the company and performed with them as well. After dancing in college at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, she went on to pursue her MFA in dance at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, earning her degree in 1989.  Right before graduation, she auditioned and was accepted into the New Dance Ensemble apprentice program.  So after graduation, in 1989, she moved to Minneapolis and apprenticed with the dance company for one year.  Next, inspired by the Nancy Hauser Dance Company, she was invited to join the company in 1991.  Ronna was a member of the Nancy Hauser Dance company for two years. She finished her modern dance career dancing in a Walker Art Center sponsored event in Gerry Girouard’s choreography on the beach of Cedar Lake in 1993! Since then she has gone back to her teaching roots and started her own business, BodyWisdom, teaching yoga, Pilates and fitness classes, as well as bringing chair yoga into senior living communities. More recently, she rebooted her dance career by going into musical theatre as she performed with Theatre 55 and had a fabulous time dancing in the productions of Pippin (2019) and A Chorus Line (2023). Now Ronna focuses on continuing teaching yoga and fitness classes, spending time with her three adult sons, tandem biking with her husband Steve, and enjoying cross-country skiing, even racing at the American Birkebeiner.  She is proud to say that she skied the Kortelopet at this event- 29 kilometers- and she just received her 10 year plaque for the Kortelopet - quite an achievement for her!