Meet the Artists
Laura Osterhaus
BA Dance Major with a double minor in Fashion Studies and Retail Merchandising
Graduating May 2016
Hometown: Maquoketa, Iowa
Favorite Thing to Eat: ICE CREAM
Laura Osterhaus of Maquoketa, Iowa began dancing at young age, quickly discovering her passion towards being a movement artist. After graduating high school, Laura set off to the University of Minnesota—Twin Cities where she now studies dance, working towards a Bachelor of Arts performance degree, as well as a double minor in fashion studies and retail merchandising. Since being in college, Laura has had the opportunity to work with well-known modern and contemporary dance choreographers, performing the work of Uri Sands, Nora Chipaumire, Gregory Dolbashian, Maurya Kerr, Scott Rink, the Martha Graham Dance Company, Garth Fagan, Gerald Casel, Wynn Fricke, Joanie Smith, and Erin Thompson. Laura continues to dabble in her love for hip-hop dance through teaching and choreographing for a number of dance studios in the Twin Cities area. Following graduation in the Spring of 2016, Laura plans to pursue a career as a professional dancer for a contemporary dance company.
"I create work lengthened in the body and consolidated in the rhythm of the soul. My dance is influenced by contemporary and hip-hop training, representative of a broad vocabulary that brings awareness to the constant force and continuous graciousness that can be found in humans. I believe in reminding myself and others of appreciating art as not merely a distraction from life’s impleasantries but a medium that can fuel optimism and solution-based think in our world."
Emma Marlar
BFA Dance major
Graduating May 2016
Hometown: Kenosha, Wisconsin
Favorite Thing to Eat: For a long time, Emma’s favorite thing to eat was tacos. She talked about them allthe time and wanted them everyday. Now Emma is transitioning into a nacho phaseof her life, where they are the only thing she can think about when hunger strikes.
I am Emma Marlar. I most recently have identified myself as someone who lives to support and see this theme dispersed through my life. It comes in many forms both within my moving life and human life. For example at The Shared Space. I am able to support Laura’s vision, the fashion designers’ creations, as well as supporting the musicians sounds with the movement of my body. The Shared Space. is important to me because I feel like I am able to use my purpose to lend it to a bigger picture.
I would say that my current creative interest is figuring out how movement can relate, respond, and coexist with other things and other art forms. Similar to this installation, I long to create dance that supports and thrives with other things. Whether this be dance with live music, in response to visual artwork, or using text to create movement, it is important to me to incorporate multi mediums and never create movement in a vacuum.
Emma will be graduating this spring and will move on to explore dance and movement outside of school. With long term goals of teaching at a university, Emma will continue to discover herself as a mover, creator, and artist until she is ready to settle into a graduate program down the road.
Lauren Bohm
BFA Dance major
Graduating May 2016
Hometown: Champlin, Minnesota
Favorite Thing to Eat: Macarons
Biggest Fear: Terrified of caterpillars. Absolutely terrified.
As a movement composer I work to create worlds in which the viewer is pulled into and transported away from reality for a fleeting moment. In this way the dancers and the audience get to share that particular moment together as it is created by and for each other. I am interested in the demonstration of internal as well as external understanding and articulation of the human experience through movement.
Another Artistic Endeavor I'm Currently Working On:
A solo surrounding the processes of sand.
Constantly growing older yet newer with every bit becoming more refined.
9 x 22 @ Bryant Lake Bowl
Wednesday, April 27 th , 8:00 p.m.
Leila Awadallah
BFA Dance major with a minor in Arab Studies
Graduating May 2016
Hometown: Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Interesting Fact About My Childhood: I am a wizard.
Hello friends! I love connecting with artists and activistsin this community. Let’s have a conversation! I am interested in intersecting our communities and spaces so that dance can collaborate with artists of other mediums, and cultural activists to become a platform for discussing social issues. To focus in a little more, I am a Palestinian-American and I am particularly interested in the continued investigation of Arab contemporary dance, Arab bodies on stage, and how the ongoing injustices committed against the people of Palestine can be articulated through dance.
When I make work, it is not just about choreographing the movement but more importantly about creating the world that lives around the movement. Whether the world is more based in reality, imagination, or fluctuating somewhere in-between, I strive to create pieces that grapple with contemporary issues directly and metaphorically. Where the artists involved can be seen as individuals and the piece can eventually teach us what it’s supposed to be through collaborative creating.
I am graduating from the University of Minnesota May 2016. I am a company member of Ananya Dance Theatre and will be dancing in the Twin Cities area until I leave in January of 2017 to study at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon. Here, I plan to spend a semester continuing my Arab Studies work and networking with the artists involved in the BIPOD dance festival which occurs in Beirut every April.
Andrew Tomten
BFA Graphic Design major
Hometown: Stillwater, Minnesota
Favorite Thing to Eat: Melons
Interesting Fact About My Childhood: In first grade I went through a goth phase in which I would often draw pictures ofmonsters creeping up on unsuspecting victims. I only wore black and everyphotograph of me showed me looking devilishly through my brow. I don’t knowwhat was possessing me at this time, nor do I know how I escaped these dark ages.
Biggest Fear: That I will not make the football team :/
Most Obscure Place I’ve Traveled To: I went to Tokyo when I was five. All I remember was having a hatred toward both seaweed and Disneyland.
I’m a Cancer, I play the saxophone, and I watch Curb Your Enthusiasm.
I write and play jazz with my buds, and regularly create strange, buttery doodles and paintings by myself.
Another Artistic Endeavor I'm Currently Working On: An art exhibition in my house showing work from my artsy friends, and Raro Studio, a monthly online publication comprised of artists and creative minds.
Sofia Puterbaugh
BA Dance & BS Human Resource and Development major
Hometown: Kenosha, Wisconsin
Favorite Thing to Eat: PASTA! PASTA! PASTA!
Interesting Fact About My Childhood: When I was very young, my parents told me if I was going to know anything about music, I had to know the names of all four Beatles...by the age of thirteen, I had a full-on obsession.
During my time at the U, I have had the pleasure to train with amazing teachers such as Erin Thompson, Maggie Bergeron, and Carl Flink. I have also recently worked with choreographers Karla Grotting, Luke Olson-Elm, and Linda Talcott Lee, as well as the company Flying Foot Forum. I am very excited to be involved with The Shared Space!
I am currently a mover and dancer focusing in contemporary, modern, and jazz dance. I am also working to start theorizing and improving my mind as an artist.
Tabitha Steger
BA Dance
Graduating May 2016
Hometown: Prescott, Wisconsin
Favorite Thing to Eat: Anything new to my palate. And my grandma's treats of any sort but especially fudge...and peanut butter cookies...and cinnamon rolls...and my mom's polish sausage soup...
Most Obscure Place I’ve Traveled To: When I was in Palestine, I went to an organic farm nestled into the top of a tall hill, with a restaurant inside that had no menus or designated servers. Just a bunch of people wanting to share their love for Aarak, wine and fresh foods cooked to scrumptiousness. Just a little hole in the wall. Learned some Arabic, a card game, and what the best Aarak tastes like from a two shot glass.
After graduation I have hopes to find a loving and inspiring dance community elsewhere to wiggle my way into. Such as Seattle. Top of the list.
I aspire to create movement that brings people together not just with joy but for discussion and ultimately, change.
Another Artistic Endeavor I'm Currently Working On: My personal senior project which is a
reflection on my studies in Israel, creating a piece starring Laura Osterhaus to premiere at Work Sighted April 15-17. I'm also collaborating with Lauren Bohm for a solo set on me to premiere at Bryant Lake Bowl April 27.
Samuel Rosentone
Bachelors of Music, Piano Performance
Graduating May 2016
Hometown: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Favorite Thing to Eat: Doughnuts
Most Obscure Place I’ve Traveled To: Iowa
Interesting Fact About My Childhood: My favorite Halloween costume was a blue M&M, which I still wear every Halloween.
Biggest Fear: Complacency
Samuel began studying piano at a young age and has used his classical training to gain fluency and versatility while playing in a variety of styles. In 2013, Rosenstone co-found Center Coast, a U of M funk band that was awarded first place in the 2015 U of M Battle of the Bands. Later that year marked the beginning of Mill City Jazz, a six-piece soul, jazz, and funk ensemble that performs regularly throughout the Twin Cities. In 2015, Rosenstone performed in conjunction with The Schubert Club in their Courtroom Concert Series and will return in 2016. Rosenstone is a Schlafle Family scholar and a Jeanne Arland Peterson scholar. He currently studies with Professor Alexander Braginsky.
"I strive to create music that challenges the mind and engages a variety of musical
cultures and mindsets."
Regena Yu
BS Apparel Design with a minor in Retail Merchandising
Graduating May 2016
Hometown: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Favorite Thing to Eat: Lasagna!! So yummy.
Interesting Fact About My Childhood: The Majority of the clothes I wore as a kid were made by my mum!
Biggest Fear: Butterflies, really really really big phobia of them.
I create timeless pieces of clothing that I hope catches the eye and creates interest. My pieces are inspired by pretty precise things
I grew up watching my mother and grandma sewing and eventually got my very own sewing machine at the age of 12 and I’ve been sewing since! The pieces I've brought to The Shared Space. are from my senior collection that I showcased in February in our senior fashion show, Identity. It’s inspired by modern, blank architecture with an emphasis on the continuation of line through spaces. I push myself to pay more attention to the smaller details that can make a piece even more entertaining and interesting to look at. This collection was a step into my desire to be a pattern-maker in the future. Thank you for the support!
Another Artistic Endeavor I'm Currently Working On: A collection of 7-looks for the RAW fashion show that is taking place on April 27th! I’ll be designing a combination of knit and woven garments for the spring/summer season.
Nicole Stumpf
BA Dance and BSB Marketing Major
Graduating May 2016
Hometown: Eden Prairie, Minnesota
Favorite Thing to Eat: Pasta
Interesting Fact About My Childhood: I was born in a bathtub.
Biggest Fear: Probably something like… anatidaephobia—the fear thatsomewhere, somehow a duck is watching you. It’s real.
I hope to work in a creative marketing position full-time, do marketing consulting work on the side for dance orgs, and perform in various dance orgs/projects.
I strive to create and move with ease, flow, and simplicity. When I create, I love to find ways to creatively and uniquely connect different mediums and textures that make sense to me.
I love to communicate creatively—this is the connection between my career paths, marketing and dance. I appreciate simple creativity and working to find the most efficient way to maximize what’s at hand.
Heidi Woelfle
BS Apparel Major
Graduating May 2016
Hometown: St. Paul, Minnesota
Favorite Thing to Eat: Fettuccine Alfredo
Heidi Woelfle is a Minneapolis-based fashion designer who specializes in structured, tailored, women's ready-to-wear apparel. Heidi’s signature look embraces clean silhouettes paired with playful colors, patterns, and textures. Vintage details meet modern shapes for comfortable and functional designs that compliment the unpredictable lifestyles of today's women. Heidi has been part of the Minneapolis design scene for the last four years and has shown her work in more than seven local fashion shows. She has also enhanced her technical design skills through an internship at NASA where she did pattern making and grading, as well as garment construction for sensor garments
Emilia Bruno
BFA Dance Major Hoping to attain a BS in Kinesiology
Hometown: Lake Zurich, Illinois
Favorite Thing to Eat: Raisin Bran, French toast, and Pasta!
Interesting Fact About My Childhood: One time in 4 th grade, I shaved half my
eyebrow with a razor and I thought it would never grow back!
I grew up in a Chicago suburb training in both competitive and non-competitive dance. I moved to Minneapolis in the fall of 2014 to pursue my undergrad here at the U. I have absolutely loved my time here thus far and I am very eager to see what is to come of my future as an artist.
I am a dancing artist who enjoys working with many styles especially modern/contemporary and hip-hop. Learning and performing are what motivates me as a mover and current dance scholar, and I believe that so much of who I am is a result of all I have experienced through dance.
Another Artistic Endeavor I'm Currently Working On: Currently working and exploring with a small Minneapolis company, ShapeShift.
Megan Schultz
BFA Graphic Design Major with a Minor in Mass Communication
Graduating May 2016
Hometown: DeForest, Wisconsin
Favorite Thing to Eat: Greek Yogurt
Interesting Fact About My Childhood: I broke 2 bones between the ages of 4-6 by misusing playground equipment
Biggest Fear: Geese & Whales. On a more serious note...losing my independence.
Most Obscure Place I've Traveled to: A plethora of beautiful, obscure places in SE Asia
Some of my hobbies and interests outside of design and the creative realm are:
Snowboarding & other outdoor activities
Yoga + general health/fitness/wellness
Traveling, Exploring & Learning
Eating & Drinking
I enjoy creating and designing for a wide range of purposes from layouts, to branding and more. I’m especially interested in print and book design, including bookmaking craft, screenprinting, letterpress, and other messy mixed media projects.
Another Artistic Endeavor I'm Currently Working On: My senior thesis incorporating mindfulness and design in everyday life
Abby Johnson
BFA Dance Major
Graduating May 2016
Hometown: Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Favorite Thing to Eat: Bread with soup
Interesting Fact About My Childhood: When my cousin was over we would play lion cubs and use my dad’s ties for tails.
Biggest Fear: Large objects submerged under water
Most Obscure Place I've Traveled to: Tel Aviv, Israel
I am a choreographer interested in lush, sincere movement that stems from listening to the human body. What I create takes into account current cultural contexts but values the feel of antique, the eccentricity of collected ages.
Another Artistic Endeavor I'm Currently Working On: A solo that may or may not include wearing a large prosthetic nose
Elizabeth Bischoff
BS Apparel Major with Minors in Interdisciplinary Design & Retail Merchandising
Graduating May 2016
Hometown: Buffalo, Minnesota
Favorite Thing to Eat: Seven Sundays Muesli is the perfect food!
Interesting Fact About My Childhood: I could speak fluent Italian with my grandmother when I was about three – I’m no longer able to do this.
Most Obscure Place I've Traveled to: Lanesboro, MN – it’s not as obscure but not everyone’s heard of it. It’s a really fun, lowkey place. You can go bike riding, lazy river tubing, sun tanning, and other small town activities.
I create bridal apparel and other couture garments. Each piece is based off of a story or narrative. This provides me with extensive inspiration and enables me to give each detail the attention it deserves. I would love to eventually work in bridal but for now, I’m hoping to just find a job
that will get me into the design world/industry and help me network.
Another Artistic Endeavor I'm Currently Working On: I’m finishing up a stuffed animal that looks like the Loch Ness Monster – I’m just focusing on smaller projects while I finish up this school semester.
Andy Schupp
Detroit Lakes, MN
Graduating May 2016
Hometown: Detroit Lakes, Minnesota
Favorite Thing to Eat: Chicken Curry
I am the youngest of six kids and I like to play soccer in my kitchen.
My friends and I create music with roots in jazz and rock n' roll.
My sisters middle name is Jelbert which I think is cool and really funny.