Laura Osterhaus Rosenstone is a movement artist and educator, born and raised in Maquoketa, Iowa. Across all modes of creating, she strives to slow down perception of time in order to provide spacious opportunities for human to human connection and expanding self-awareness. Laura’s work focuses on the reality that we are never isolated in our existence but instead always moving through the world in relationship to something, whether one might realize it or not. Osterhaus Rosenstone’s movement training includes Hip-Hop, House, Jazz, contemporary dance from numerous lineages, modern, ballet, ballroom, and tap. The expansiveness of her training influences her performance and choreographic aesthetics that heavily lean into musicality, rhythmicity, and sequential articulation of the body.

While pursuing her bachelor’s degree in dance and fashion studies at the University of Minnesota—Twin Cities, Laura had the opportunity to perform the work of modern/contemporary dance choreographers Nora Chipaumire, Gregory Dolbashian, Maurya Kerr, the Martha Graham Dance Company, and Garth Fagan among others. As a member of Zenon Dance Company in Minneapolis 2016-2019, Laura performed the work of choreographers Kyle Abraham, Michelle Boulé, Danny Buraczeski, Sam Kim, Colleen Thomas, and others throughout Minnesota and across the country. Laura received her MFA in Performance and Choreography from Smith College in 2022. During her graduate studies, she had the opportunity to perform in the work of Chris Aiken, Shakia Barron, Angie Hauser, Sarah Konner, Erin Kouwe, and Chrissy Martin.

Osterhaus Rosenstone has a long-time collaborative relationship with Leila Awadallah and Emma Marlar in their creative trio, Kelvin Wailey, in which they meet to laugh, cry, and make dance for unique spaces. Laura is also the founder and artistic director of Slo Dance Company, working with an ever-evolving group of collaborators to build performance work seeded in Slowness, focused on embracing the process of intimate relationship-building. Laura regularly guest teaches at various locations throughout the Midwest. She has been an instructor at the Zenon Dance School, the Performing Institute of Minnesota, and St. Paul Conservatory for the Performing Arts.

As a freelance performer, she’s been delighted to explore on-screen dance roles as well as the excitement of accompanying music artists in live performance. Laura has been featured in several productions for John Mark Creative, ranging broadly from Sylvan Esso’s music video, PARAD(w/m)E, to performing on stage with Weird Al. Laura resides in Minneapolis, working as a freelance dancer, choreographer and educator, currently preparing for upcoming performances with choreographers Shakia Barron and Vanessa Anspaugh.

Photos by Bill Cameron

Noelle Awadallah نوال is a Palestinian American improviser, performer, and maker who resides in Mni Sota. She is currently a member of Body Watani with leilawa and a company member of Ananya Dance Theatre. Her work circles themes of transcendence of time, ancestor imaginings, listening, metaphor, falling into stereotypes, mysticism, and storytelling. Improvisational practices guide her movement generating as an honest way to dig and share stories re-remembered from her body. Constantly curious, but currently investigating future-ness through acknowledgement of past. She has presented work in various spaces including Columbia College Chicago, National Students for Justice in Palestine Conference, Performathon Pique Art Space, and Dear Gaza Block Party. She was a recipient of the Diyar Theatre مسرح ديار residency in Bethlehem, Palestine 2019 and a recipient of the Hinge Arts Residency of Career Development in 2020. She dabbles in experimental short films as another form of storytelling. She holds a BFA from Columbia College Chicago (2018).

Emilia Bruno is an Italian-American, queer woman who holds closely her identities as a mover and a caregiver. She graduated from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities in 2018 with degrees in Dance and Kinesiology and spent the following two years in the Twin Cities humbly expressing her artistic passion with Zenon Dance Company, Shapiro & Smith Dance, and Jagged Moves. Emilia is a big fan of the Bates Dance Festival where she has participated in the youth mentorship program for two consecutive summers and most recently had the opportunity to perform with Doug Varone and Dancers as a part of the Professional Training Program in July 2019. Throughout the pandemic, Emilia has spent much of her time holding, soothing, supporting, and engaging with babies as a full-time nanny and has been excited to explore the ways in which this work has undoubtedly informed her dance practice. This is Emilia’s third performance project with Slo Dance Company and she could not be more excited to be sharing the stage with this incredible group of women.

Top photo by Isabel Fajardo

Alexandra Eady was born and raised in Minneapolis and began dancing at the age of seven. While in high school at St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, she was introduced to the contemporary dance technique of Yorchhā created by Ananya Chatterjea, the Artistic Director of Ananya Dance Theatre. In 2011, she became a company member with Ananya Dance Theatre and continues to perform, teach and tour with the company. Ananya Dance Theatre’s commitment to social justice and intentional choreographic creations is what fuels her performance on stage.

Alexandra teaches Yorchhā workshops and masterclasses in schools across the Twin Cities and nationally and internationally while on tour with the company. Her international performance and teaching experience includes the Harare International Festival of the Arts in Zimbabwe, New Waves Performance Institute in Trinidad, the Bethlehem International Performing Arts Festival in Palestine, and the Aavejak Aavaaz Festival in Delhi. In 2020 she was a collaborator in residence at the Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography. Alexandra is committed to performing and creating works grounded in narrative and story that do not leave behind ancestral guidance. She works to bring her communities with her and perform in honor of those that have come before, the ones that are witnessing, and future generations. She is incredibly thankful for her wonderful mentors, teachers, students, friends, family, and most significantly, her parents and sister that give her endless energy and light.

Photo by Isabel Fajardo

Emma Marlar resides in the Minneapolis area, balancing a career in the performance, creation/curation, and technical aspects of dance. Since graduating from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities with a BFA in Dance in 2016, she has taken on work that allows her to support others, spark conversation, create collaboratively, and pursue endless explorations in movement. Working with Slo Dance has fulfilled and overflown these desires. She feels honored to be a part of Slo Dance at this exciting time where things are only just beginning.

Along with dancing in Slo Dance, Emma moves in other projects such as Jennifer Glaws' Jagged Moves, her co-formed dance trio Kelvin Wailey, and other project based work around the city. Emma creates her own work and recently has taken on a new endeavor of hosting an interdisciplinary showcase called PATTERNS. Through this she creates and hold space for artist to workshop new and old ideas, fresh collaborations, and for audience members to relish in high quality work in a casual, comfortable space.

Lastly, Emma serves as the Production Manager for Ananya Dance Theatre and has toured both nationally and internationally with the company since 2014.

Photos by Isabel Fajardo

Patrick Marschke is a percussionist and sound technologist who builds custom applications that examine the boundaries of aural perception through sonic obfuscation and live improvised electroacoustic performance. His work revolves around immersive performance experiences that explore the emotional fragments ingrained in the liminal space between minds, bodies, and machines.

Leslie O’Neill embraced dance at the age of 18, beginning her formal training in college dance programs at the University of WI in Green Bay and University of Minnesota. She began her professional performance career as a company member for Black Label Movement from 2005-2009, and continued in Zenon Dance Company from 2006-2019 when the company closed. In that span Leslie earned recognitions for her outstanding performances with Sage Award nominations and the McKnight Fellowship for Dancers in 2010, and has slowly developed a body of choreographic work with incredible support from her community and multiple funding sources. Leslie has collaborated with an array of local independent artists over 20 years and this performance marks her first process with SLO dance--she hopes it is not the last. Moving forward, Leslie intends to continue expressing herself through movement and performance, baking, flying trapeze, thrifting, and paint-by-number.

Jamie Ryan-Karels is a mover, bodyworker and mother. She grew up in South Dakota and received her BFA in Dance from the University of Minnesota in 2004. She then danced professionally with Shapiro & Smith Dance, Black Label Movement and Maggie Bergeron & Company. After a major spine surgery, she took a break from dance and studied at the prestigious Boulder College of Massage Therapy. She now has her own bodywork practice, Mammal Bodywork, where she does massage and energy work with both people and animals. Performing with Slo Dance is a huge honor and she couldn’t be more excited to be a part of this process.

Photo by Randy Karels

Sarah Steichen Stiles is a born and raised Minnesotan. She received her B.A. in Dance Performance and Management Studies from St. Olaf College and danced with Zenon Dance Company from 2013-2019. She has also performed locally with Mathew Janczewski’s ARENA DANCES, Eclectic Edge Ensemble, Luke Olson-Elm, and The Minnesota Opera. As a passionate teaching artist, Sarah has taught and performed throughout the country and internationally. She is committed to dance and the arts as a tool for forming community and creating sacred experiences. Currently, Stiles is the Sacred Dance Director at Prairie School of Dance in Eden Prairie, performing with Concerto Dance by Jolene Konkel, and is thrilled to be dancing under the direction of Laura Osterhaus with Slo Dance Company!

Dancers: Leila Awadallah, Lauren Bohm, Annika Hansen, Alexander Pham, Nicole Stumpf, Abby Taylor, Sophie Walker, JT Weaver, Abigail Whitmore

Music: Purple Funk Metropolis, Sam Rosenstone