The Company

SARA MARTINEZ-MARCOTTE

Sara has been a company member with Out on a Limb since the beginning and has enjoyed performing and teaching over the years. Sara's favorite styles of dance are musical theater and ballet, but her favorite style to teach is tap. Sara is currently working on her PhD at the University of Minnesota.

JEREMY BENSUSSAN | GUEST

Jeremy is a proud native of the Twin Cities. He began his professional career with Out on a Limb Dance Company in 2001 and earned his BFA in Dance from the University of Minnesota in 2010. Locally, Jeremy has danced with the MN Opera, Minnesota Dance Theater, Flying Foot Forum, Keane Sense of Rhythm, Eclectic Edge Ensemble, Christopher Watson Dance Company, and others. New York dance credits include Dusan Tynek Dance Company and The Bang Group. Regional musical theater credits include Fiddler on the Roof (New York), 9 to 5 (Ohio), Annie Get Your Gun (Wisconsin), and CATS (Rhode Island).

ALLIE CAUSIN

Allie has been studying dance since 1992 and has been teaching ballet since 2002. She has been performing all across the Twin Cities since 1999 including with the Russian Moscow Ballet, the MN Dance Festival, the MN Fringe Festival, and at many different Renaissance Festivals across the country. Allie has been dancing and performing with OOAL since it opened in 2001. When she isn’t dancing or working, she trades in her legs for a mermaid tail to perform and swim around the country as Lyrique the Mermaid! The best part of dance for her is when all the hard work, time, and effort pay off performing on stage, becoming completely enveloped in the moment. "There are shortcuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them."  -Vicki Baum

HEATHER BENSUSSAN

Heather has been dancing in the Twin Cities for 27 years. She has been a part of Out on a Limb since 2007 and has been a dance instructor for the past 8 years. Her favorite Out on a Limb productions she has been a part of include Mary Poppins and Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, among others. Heather has two daughters who are now Out on a Limb dancers, too!

JOY MCBRIEN

Joy comes to Out on a Limb with 12 years of dancing experience, specializing in contemporary and tap performance. A graduate of the University of Minnesota, Joy is a global learner who gets excited about social justice, women’s rights, and creating solutions. She is thrilled to have recently joined the Out on a Limb community.

ALLIE HAMMEL

Allie has been dancing since the age of 2 and has been dancing with Out on a Limb since it opened in 2001. Allie took a brief break from dance for college and her career but could not stay away for long. She loves all forms of dance but musical theater and jazz are her favorites. She is currently working full time at a medical device company in the Twin Cities.

HANNAH LARSEN

Hannah grew up competitively dancing at Dance Tech Studios where she found her passion for expressing herself through dance. Trained in most styles, her favorite would have to be contemporary. 

After graduating, getting married, and moving to the Twin Cities, Hannah found herself exploring many new active hobbies, including volleyball, mountain biking, backpacking, rock climbing, and soccer. Her former ballet teacher, Miss Amber Keeley, introduced her to OOAL and she realized how much she had missed being in the studio. “I instantly fell in love with everything OOAL has to offer, especially the people. I feel so blessed to be a part of this beautiful family.”

CARINA ANDERSON

Although she got her first tutu on her third birthday, Carina has been dancing at Out on a Limb since 2006, at age eight. After training in many styles at OOAL, she graduated in 2020 with a B.A. in Dance from the University of Minnesota, and is currently working on her master's in elementary education. Carina is honored and excited to share her passion for movement with others.

LINDSEY KING

Originally from the Twin Cities, Lindsey's penchant for travel has taken her on far-flung adventures, all with tap shoes in tow. She landed in New York City for over a decade to study with some of the "greats," and now she's come home to Limb, where she was an early company member and rhythm tap teacher. Lindsey is eager to share her love of tap dance and some great steps she's learned along the way. In addition to being featured in several Out on a Limb shows, she's also performed with Keane Sense of Rhythm, Kaleena Miller, and 10 Foot 5, among others. Lindsey is the mother of two, both young dancers who love to dance as much as their mom.

KARISSA GIBSON

Karissa started dancing at OOAL when they first opened their doors. She went on to the University of MN where she graduated with a BA in Sociology. Though she was no longer taking classes her heart never left the company. From technique and wisdom taught through OOAL’s mission, passion, and encouragement carried out by the staff, Karissa was able to implement the same passion through choreography she taught the youth and adult praise dance ministries at church. Enrolling her daughter Nevaeh at OOAL jump started Karissa’s motivation to enroll herself again!

AMANDA PETERSON

Dance has been an essential part of Amanda’s life for over seventeen years. Growing up, she danced competitively for Dance Tech Studios, and was a member of both her high school and college dance teams. After graduating college, she joined the Limb family—a wonderful group of individuals who, like herself, have a passion for dance and a desire to instill that passion within others. She cannot wait to see what is in store for her dancing future as she continues to grow and challenge her abilities. Outside of dance, Amanda loves volunteering, traveling, and doing anything that screams ADVENTURE

CLARE PODVIN

Clare has been dancing since the age of three. Since a young age, she knew dance was something that would always be part of her life. She is thrilled to be a company member at Out on a Limb! Clare's favorite styles of dance include contemporary, jazz and hip hop. She can't wait to be a part of all of the future OOAL shows!

GABBI JOHNSON

Since her first class at Out on a Limb at five years old, Gabbi has fallen in love with dance and Limb. After assistant teaching for six years, she began teaching her own class and could not be happier. The constant support and love from friends and teachers encourages her to continue growing as a dancer and as a person. Performance weeks are Gabbi's favorite times of the year, her favorite shows have been Peter Pan in 2014 and La Sylphide in 2013.

Hannah Kienast

Hannah has been dancing since the age of two. She has always been very passionate about dance and it’s power to portray a message. At eight she started training in many different styles of dance at a ballet school in Wisconsin. Later, her family moved to Minnesota and she started dancing with Out on a Limb in 2015. In her high school years she was also a part of the Mounds View Viewettes competition team, as well as their performance team. Throughout Hannah's experience at OOAL, the most valued part of her experience has been the connections she’s made with the OOAL family. Dance will always be a passion of hers and OOAL is always a safe space that she calls home.

MAYA WANDREI | OOAL APPRENTICE

Maya has been dancing or moving since she was two years old, and has been dancing at Out on a Limb since she was eight. She loves the ballet and contemporary training she’s received and can’t wait to work alongside the company at every opportunity she can and share her passion for dance with the world!

LOUISE FEHRMAN | OOAL APPRENTICE

Louise began dancing at age 2 at Metro Dance Center in Shoreview, Minnesota. At age 7, she began dancing with Out on a Limb and has been here ever since! Louise’s favorite styles of dance are ballet and contemporary, although she’s enjoyed exploring everything from tap to breakdancing while growing up at Out on a Limb. She is grateful for the community abundant in love and support found at Out on a Limb Dance, and is currently working on her BSN at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.