Artists
Amy Sutheimer-Barnes
Amy Sutheimer-Barnes received her BA in Dance from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, where she specialized in contemporary dance practices in the modern traditions, somatic body knowledge, and community art. Amy has enjoyed working with Danceworks, a Milwaukee-based company, doing intergenerational art programs and exploring dance in senior citizen communities through a Student Artist in Residence Program. Amy has shared her passion and knowledge for community dance through keynote presentations at national and international conferences, including Imagine America and The Eden Alternative. At the studio level, Amy has shared her knowledge and passion by teaching at Bella Via Dance, LLC (Mequon, WI), Dance Dynamics, LLC (Plover, WI, and Forthcoming Danspace (Stevens Point, WI). She has also shown her love for performance through numerous castings at UWM, MAM After Dar, and Get It Out There!. To continue to build upon her understanding of movement, Amy received her Doctor of Physical Therapy in May 2022. This addition to her repertoire allows her to help dancers grow in their body awareness, as well as help individuals through the age spectrum move and groove for as long as possible. Amy is a proud alumna of Point Dance Ensemble and has been a guest artist setting her work “In the Eye of the Mind” (2019) on company members. She also set and performed in “As Timely As Ever” (2020) with fellow alumni during the 20th Anniversary Celebration. She has served as Assistant and Co-Artistic Director for several years and excited to continue on as Artistic Director for PDE.
Karlies Kelley
Karlies Kelley, born and raised in Panama, is currently living in Milwaukee, WI. She has over 15 years of experience performing, teaching and producing events. She holds a BFA and an MFA in African Diaspora Dance from UWM- Milwaukee. Her constant research and passion for dance have molded her into a versatile dancer and choreographer, ranging from Salsa to West African, Brazilian, Caribbean, Modern, and Jazz. Karlies has traveled and taught across the Americas, Europe, and Asia, and is actively involved in the Milwaukee community, engaging youth and adults to move in positive and unifying ways. She believes dance belongs to all, in all spaces, dance is key to living a more happy, colorful and meaningful life.
Sarah Olson
Sarah Olson is an Assistant Professor of Dance at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, where she teaches ballet, modern, dance pedagogy, and dance history. She holds an MFA in Dance from the University of Iowa and a BFA in Dance Performance, magna cum laude, from Butler University. Prior to coming to UWSP, Sarah enjoyed a thirteenyear performance career, working with ballet and contemporary companies including among others the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Repertory Ballet, Inaside Chicago Dance, and Cleveland Contemporary Dance Theatre. Her choreography has been commissioned by Chicago-based companies such as Nomi Dance Company, Project606 Dance, and RASA Dance Chicago as well as presented at festivals including Harvest Chicago Contemporary Dance Festival, Dance Chicago, and the Choreographer’s Showcase at the College of DuPage. As an educator, Sarah has taught for the University of Iowa, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Joffrey Academy of Dance, West Virginia Governor’s School for the Arts, and Lou Conte Dance Studio.
Celia Sweet
Celia Sweet has been an instructor at Forthcoming Danspace for 10+ years and has been performing with and choreographing for Transcribing Dance Company since 2013. Her work focuses on emotional exploration and storytelling through contemporary and pedestrian movements.
Stana Luedtke
Stana Luedtke is an alumna of Point Dance Ensemble and is excited to be back as a guest artist for the season. Stana graduated Tufts University with a major in English literature and minors in Dance and Sociology. Since then, she has taught English in rural Andalicia, Spain as part of an international language and culture exchange fellowship. She is intrigued by story-telling in all forms and explores this through choreography and writing.