16 dancers take the stage in a series of short works from classical ballet to hip-hop and tap. Exploring emotions, feeling, relationships and menopause, this dance show has something for everyone.
The cast
Kari Jensen
Role: Director, Choreographer, Dancer
Kari Jensen is originally from California, she began her training at the Marin Ballet school. At age 14, Kari left home to attend the Royal Winnipeg Ballet school where she stayed for two years. She then attended the San Francisco School of Ballet, and the Richmond Ballet school. She left the world of dance after sustaining an injury, and didn’t return for almost a decade. Two years after returning to ballet, Kari was asked to be the Principal dancer and Ballet Mistress for Ballet Spokane where she remained for two seasons, performing lead and title roles roles in Sleeping Beauty, Dracula, Romeo & Juliet, Coppelia, A Midsummer Night’s Dream,
and Cinderella, where she was hailed by critics as a “youthful, vibrant, virtuostic dancer”, as well as the only solo role in Ron
Cunningham’s Incident At Blackbriar, which Mr. Cunningnham personally rehearsed. In 2005 she was asked to choreograph for the
company’s spring showcase, and her works remain in the company repetoire. Kari joined Continental Ballet Company in 2005,
where she performed soloist roles in Paquita, Swan Lake, Cinderella and the Nutcracker. Kari’s other creditis include the major motion picture film Shadow of Fear, the operas Don Giovanni, Don Pasquale, and Hansel and Gretel, and photographs in the books A Day in the
Life of California and Terms Every Dancer Should Know. Her first Fringe show, Ars Longa, Vita Brevis, appeared in the 2008 Fringe
line-up, and was well received by reviewers and audience members alike. Kari will be joining Ballet Minnesota in the fall of 2009.
Joseph Bingham
Role: Dancer
Joseph is thrilled to return for a third year of Fringe madness. In
addition to Stray Pieces, he is performing in John Munger’s My Body made me do this! Joseph has also produced two of his own
critically acclaimed shows in the Minnesota Fringe Festival: Conundrum (2007) and Conundrum Rehabbed (2008). Now in his third
year in the University of Minnesota’s Dance program, he has danced works by Shapiro and Smith Dance and Paula Man, and served
as Publicist of the student-run Xperimental Theatre. He danced for five seasons with Continental Ballet Company, where favorite
roles included Nutcracker and Russian in The Nutcracker; Puss in Boots in Sleeping Beauty; Spanish in Swan Lake; Coppelia;
Cinderella; and the Lead Cowboy in Rodeo. Joseph is currently interning with Bloomington Civic Theatre.
Shannon Corbett
Role: Dancer
Shannon Corbett primarily trained at Ballet Arts Minnesota under the direction of Bonnie Mathis. She attended summer programs such as Milwaukee Ballet, Minnesota Ballet, Boston Ballet, Extreme Ballet at Kaatsbaan International Dance Center, and City Ballet of San Diego"all on scholarship. Upon graduating from high school, Shannon
received a scholarship to attend Point Park College as a dance major. She later joined Ballet Arts Minnesota for their Springboard Apprentice Company for three years. Shannon began her professional career as a guest artist for Peoria Ballet and later spent seasons at Ohio Dance Theatre, Augusta Ballet, Artisan Dance, Northern Plains Ballet and the Metropolitan Ballet. She is in her second season with Continental Ballet. She has been privileged to dance the principle role in Ron Cunningham's Incident at Blackbriar and Lucy in Northern Plains Ballet's Dracula. In 2008 Jeff Shaw of THE CITY PAGES named
her a "real star leading dancer".
Amber Genetzky
Role: Dancer
has been active in the Twin Cities dance scene since 1998. She has been a member of the Continental Ballet Company since 2001. Amber has appeared as the Cowgirl in Rodeo, the Fairy of Beauty in Sleeping Beauty, and Spanish in the Nutcracker. She has also performed in
Cinderella, Coppelia, Swan Lake, and Paquita, among others. Amber is also a chiropractor.
Garvin Jellison
Role: Dancer
Garvin has been dancing since age five and worked in classical ballet since 2001. He studied under Wilor Bluege for five years at Saint Paul City Ballet. He also studied with Karen Rivet, Laura McClanahan, Barbara Christenson, Krista Hill, Georgia Amdahl, Ted Sothern,
Andrei Bossov, Natalya Getman, Anna and Vladimir Karpov. He has danced with the Milwaukee Ballet and Bossov Ballet Theatre
intensive programs, and other programs with Ballet Arts MN, Dance Moves, the Minnesota Ballet and St. Paul Conservatory for
Performing Artists. He has performed in Wilor Bluege’s The Golden Bough from 1996-2003, A Christmas Carol, Concertina and
Enticed--- three original works with St. Paul City Ballet, Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia, Don Quixote, Nutcracker and Cinderella. Garvin
was a member of Ballet Minnesota from 2007-2009. With Ballet Minnesota, he performed in Black Dog Café, Italian Symphony,
Nutcracker 2007, Rite of Spring, Swan Lake and La Bayadere.
Poul Jensen
Role: Dancer
began his dancing career in the early 1800’s in Copenhagen, Denmark. (that was a joke Dad!) No, he really did have training from Freddy Pedersen, and Poul really is from Denmark, but it’s been a long time since he has performed, so cheer him on. He’s only doing this as a favor for his oldest daughter, who decided it would be lot of fun to have him on stage again. His last performance was in 2004 as the Priest in Ballet Spokane’s Coppelia. Poul lives in Spokane with his wife and cat.
Monica Kleen
Role: Choreographer, Dancer
has been dancing for 20 years. She has studied tap, jazz and ballet with Victoria’s Dance Productions and Andahazy School of Classical Ballet. She has attended workshops with Savion Glover, Dave Carter, and other industry professionals. Monica has a third place National title in Tap to her credit. In addition to studio training, Monica has danced in theatrical productions such as Guys ‘n Dolls, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. She was a member of the State Champion Eastview Lightning Dance Team for two years. Monica is a professional choreographer and currently is the head coach for the dance team at Mayer Lutheran High School. Along with her extensive dance and gymnastic background, Monica also enjoys competing in Rodeo games including barrel racing and pole weaving. She is also an avid
hunter. Monica is proud mom to Teagan.
Holly Kwitowski
Role: Dancer
Holly, a native of Erie, Pennsylvania, began her training at the Bayfront Ballet and Lake Erie Ballet. She then attended Point Park
University, where she earned her B.A. in Dance and graduated Magna Cum Laude. Holly is currently a company dancer with the Continental Ballet in Bloomington, MN. She has previously danced with the Chicago Ballet and Illinois Ballet, where she appeared in Carmina Burana, as well as soloist roles such as Cupid in Don Quixote, and Spring Fairy in Cinderella. Additionally, she has trained with the Nashville Ballet, Burklyn Ballet Theatre, and the famed Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Ms. Kwitowski has studied with teachers and choreographers such as Margo Sappington, Alan Hineline, Janek Schergen, John Gardner, and David Howard. In 2005, Holly performed in Edinburgh, Scotland for the Fringe Festival. Last year, Holly appeared in Kari Jensen's Fringe production, Ars Longa, Vita Brevis, here in Minnesota. She would like to thank Kari once again, for the opportunity to do something new and "different." Holly would also like to thank God, as well as her friends, family, Josh and especially her parents, for all their encouragement, faith and support.
Joanna Lowry
Role: Dancer
received her ballet training from Boitsov Ballet School in her hometown of Chicago. She has enjoyed dancing the past five seasons for Continental Ballet Company and is once again excited to participate in Kari Jensen's fringe show.
Jennifer Mack
Role: Dancer
holds a B.A in Arts Management and Dance from the University of WI-Stevens Point. She’s been a company member with Continental Ballet Company since 2004, and has also had the pleasure to work with Deborah Jinza-Thayers Movement Architecture, Rosy Simas Dance Projects, Vox Media Dance Company, and the Eclectic Edge Ensemble, as well as local choreographers Vanessa Voskuil, Melissa Gunther-Brown, Sharon Picasso, Sharon Varosh, and Anna Resele. Her own choreography has been performed at several area theatres in Rochester, Bloomington, St. Paul, and Minneapolis in collaboration with local musicians Ada Jane and Ben Siems. Previously, she worked as the Assistant to the Director for Rochester Dance Company, and danced in Szeged, Hungary. Jen would like to thank Kari and the cast for this chance to do some contemporary fun, and Matt, Mom & Dad for their love and support. Jen is also appearing in Cathy Wright’s Fringe show Thrower of Light.
Jordan Nelson
Role: Dancer
Jordan Arthur Nelson began his training in 2007 at the Zenon Dance
company school. He has since been training and performing with Ballet Minnesota and The Classical Ballet Academy. These works include: The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Beethoven's 9th Symphony, and La
Bayadere. He performed Cinderella with Continental Ballet in the spring of 2009. Jordan is now a company member for Ballet Minnesota for the 2009-10 season. This is his first time performing with Moving Arts Ensemble.
Audrey Olsen
Role: Dancer
a native of Chicago,graduated from the Boitsov Classical Ballet School of Vagonova Technique in 2002, under the direction of Madame Elizabeth Boitsov. She has been dancing as a professional since 2003. She was a company member of Continental Ballet from 2006-2008, dancing roles such as the Cowgirl in Rodeo, the Fairy of Song in Sleeping Beauty, and Fall in Cinderella, among others. Audrey holds a Bachelors of Science in Nursing. Audrey currently resides in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Karen Paulson-Rivet
Role: Choreographer, Dancer
Karen received her early training from the Andahazy’s and excels in the rich traditions of Russian classical ballet and character techniques. She continued her studies in pedagogy with Vaganova Teaching Seminars in Illinois and Minnesota. Ms. Paulson Rivet traveled to the Vaganova Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia for additional information, which included class observation and private coaching sessions with Maryinsky Ballet Principal Dancers. Ms. Paulson Rivet augmented her training with Gabriela Komleva, Marina Stavitskaya and Carol Roderick. During her performing career she danced solo roles in Les Sylphides, Pas de Quatre, Giselle, and Loyce Houlton’s Nutcracker Fantasy. Ms. Paulson Rivet has restaged Les Sylphides, Pas De Quatre, and the Pas de Trois from Swan Lake for St. Paul City Ballet. She also restaged Les Sylphides for Minnesota Dance Theatre. Ms. Paulson Rivet is the artistic director and choreographer of A Christmas Carol, the Ballet created for St. Paul City Ballet. She has been on the teaching staff of reputable ballet schools in the Twin Cities including Minnesota Dance Theatre/The DanceI nstitute and guest master teacher at many others. Ms. Paulson Rivet continues to perform with her most recent appearances in The Fringe Festival,
Continental Ballets Coppelia and Cinderella and Nutcracker Fantasy. She is furthering her education at Concordia University and is
on staff at The Saint Paul Conservatory of Performing Artists and Continental Ballet Company.
Amanda Quiring
Role: Dancer
Amanda has been studying dance for 13 years, and has spent the last eight years with River Valley Dance Academy. She excels at ballet, tap, jazz, and hip-hop. Amanda has performed at Disney World, on the Sovereign of the Seas cruise ship, and at Minnesota Vikings half
time productions. She has taken classes at Broadway Dance Center in New York, participated in Behind the Scenes Broadway program with performers from the Lion King and Wicked, and has studied with
industry professionals through her participation in the Show Stopper, Wild, and Tremaine Dance Conventions. Amanda will be attending college in the fall.
Ted Sothern
Role: Dancer
Ted has danced with numerous dance companies in the US. This is his first time performing with Moving Arts Ensemble. Love the
Fringe!!
Kari Jensen
Stray Pieces
Fri., Jul. 31 @ 10:00 p.m.
Sun., Aug. 2 @ 7:00 p.m.
Mon., Aug. 3 @ 7:00 p.m.
Thu., Aug. 6 @ 10:00 p.m.
Fri., Aug. 7 @ 5:30 p.m.
Venue Ritz Theater
For ages 10+
Created by Kari Jensen
genres Dance
subjects Relationships
features World premiere, Original script/choreography
Overall rating
User reviews
Scattered pieces
by Fringivitis Vulgaris Follow this reviewer
Rating 3 kitties
Lots of ballet of course, with some irritating intrusions from faux hip-hop and odd bits of tap. Rather strange to notice how little the male dancers moved in comparison to the very fluid female dancers. Some ensemble pieces were beautifully performed and others had jarring inconsistencies of timing. There's beauty in this show, particularly when the dancers revel in what they know best.
Solid Show!
by Christopher Kidder Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
Great ballet pieces mixed in with selections from other forms of dance. It has great variety and was a lot of fun.
For more in-depth thoughts: Fringe By Numbers
Well worth the price of admission!
by karen kolbinger Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Jensens stray pieces is a quick moving show packed with quality dancing that will leave the audience wanting an encore after it closes. Well-rehearsed and ready to hit the stage the unison corps work contrasts well against the dynamic solos and duets. Karabuska was a particular favorite. The dancers hit the stage running to successfully stay on top of the fast, flirty choreography. You could feel the energy radiating from the stage in the close quarters of the theatre as the dancers attacked the movement with flair. In Jensen’s Episodes, each of the dancers personified their emotion to a tee. The audience gets the opportunity to watch the dancers beautiful lines and balances, laugh at the light-hearted humor, and experience the creative partner work. The show is an excellent way to spend an hour and well worth the price of admission!
At The Ballet
by Matthew Hodge Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Everything from the spacing of dancers, attention to line, and diversity of dances makes Kari Jensen and Moving Arts Ensemble A MUST SEE FRINGE SHOW!!!
Classy Contemporary Ballet
by John Munger Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
Fourteen distinct dances squeeze into 58 minutes. Kari Jensen set out to embrace a wide variety of styles of dance. We get neo-classic Ballet, Hip-Hop, traditional Modern, contemporary Ballet, Ukrainian Gypsy Characterdanse, Tango and Tap. But the core dancers are highly trained in formal Ballet and this is what shows through. There is choreographic intelligence, delicious variety, and a wealth of stunning performances. The core dancers, including four men and seven pointe-shoe women, are trained in formal ballet, mostly between about 25 and 35, and deliver classy performances with precision and commitment at a high technical level. I reluctantly give only four kitties because a couple of the non-Ballet pieces were painfully anomalous and because the finale did not measure up to the rest of this otherwise superb show. For more detail and discussion see my Fringe dance blog at tcdailyplanet.net.
Sure Bet!
by Belle Stransky Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
I really enjoyed Stray Pieces. It was a nice mix of techniques with a range of emotions from serious to humorous. Ms. Jensen chose a great cast to work with. A couple stand out pieces for me were: "Dominating", where Shannon Corbett convincingly used her gorgeous ballet physique to control and dominate over her much larger partner, Jordan Nelson. The other was "Stubborn", in which Ted Sothern's and Joanna Lowry's playfull antics had the entire audience in laughter.
I plan on attending another performance of this delightful show and can't recommend it enough!
I loved most of it!
by Liz Floyd Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
Time was up and I could have watched more.
Good overall
by beth parkhill Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
While ballet is not a Fringe staple, these dancers offer great variety. I enjoyed the second half and wish they would have mixed some of it into the first half. Had the music been more edgy, I think more Fringe goers would love this show. All around good performance though.
Speechless..
by Kate Fern Follow this reviewer
Rating 1 kitty
In my opinion this concert was reminiscent of a studio recital or dance competition, the tap and hip hop duets in particular. Some of the female ballet/pointe performers had beautiful technique and performance quality. The show was lighthearted and demonstrated strong technique at times but I have little more to say than that.
A nice piece
by Mark Siska Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
Kari Jensen has put together a fantastic group of performers for Stray Pieces. Even though the tap and hip hop sections were a little random, I still feel like the performances put forward by those two was wonderful. I typically see pieces of theatre, but thought I would give it a try. I absolutely loved this piece. Bravo to Kari and Ensemble.
Very Enjoyable
by Luke Kabakoff Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
This is a great show to see! The dancers were sincere and expressive and held the show together quite gracefully. Each piece was unique but flowed well because of the intense emotion expressed by the dancers. I agree with the tidbit about the tap/hip hop, but it is a very small part of the show. If you're looking for a quality dance performance, this is a great choice.
Almost perfect...less the Tap/Hip-Hop
by Joshua McCaffrey Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
I have been going to performances now for just over 4 years and I must say that for what I expected going into it and what I got out of it, I was thoroughly impressed. Throughout the evening I remained thoroughly intrigued by each and every piece that was performed...for they were all done with such a great amount of sheer emotion and intensity.
The only dissapointment in the evening came in intervals as a Tap/Hip-Hop Duet came out at seperate times for short little pieces...it felt unpolished and thrown together.
All-in-all, even after running an entire two blocks in a torrential downpour and not fully drying until mid-way throughout the show, I managed to have a wonderful evening and will gladly be going back on the other nights of their performances.
They even managed to throw in some truly original humor with 'Stubborn'...very well done.
My congrats go out to Kari Jensen for her beautiful and well thought out choreography, as well as each and every one of the dancers that were an integral part in what is 'Stray Pieces' ~
Highly Recommended!
by Tina Bratcher Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Stray Pieces is a definite must see at the Fringe! The choregraphy was stylish and creative, and the dancers were great! Highlights of the show included "Karabushka", "Love(d) You", and "Episodes" - with "Stubborn" being the audience favorite! You don't want to miss this one!
Well Done Indeed!
by Derek Johnson Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
While I would agree with some reviewers in regards to the hip hop/tap portions in that they need a little work, I thought the overall performace was wonderful! The ballet pieces were beautiful and I thought the dances were very talented and I thoroughly enjoyed their performances!
Ballet - yes!
by Emily Beugen Follow this reviewer
Rating 2 kitties
The ballet portion of this show was great! I thought the dancers were amazing and heartfelt. The tap and hip hop portion made no sense to me and it felt as though it was thrown in at the last minute. I actually thought that portion killed the entire thing.
Excellent Choice
by Richard Heise Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Even though they had a bit of a problem with one of the pieces this was perhaps the most beautiful dance performance I have seen in some time
Very good first performance
by Donovan Walker Follow this reviewer
Rating 3 kitties
3 stars is 'worth a look' 4 stars is 'excellent' and 5 stars is 'I want to have your baby'-
Though it was a little rough around the edges, I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the show.
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