MEET OUR STAFF

 KIM MARTINEZ | ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Originally from the Twin Cities, Kim was born into a family of entertainers and dance instructors. She has spent her 40+ year career performing, teaching and nurturing the talent of young people here in the Twin Cities Area. She has taught master classes in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and Tokyo. She considers her special talent is that of recognizing and developing talent in others, and thrives on seeing the best being brought out of young, dedicated performers.

HEATHER BROCKMAN

Heather Brockman has been dancing since the sweet age of seven. Originally from Colorado, she is a graduate of Macalester College. Heather had the privilege of studying, dancing and performing with the Ballet of the Dolls company for nearly 20 years. She is grateful, now, to be a member of the Out On a Limb company and loves sharing the stage with so many young and talented performers. As always, she thanks her husband John and her girl gang for their constant love and support.

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.

AUSTEN BROWNE

Austen has been immersed in the arts from a very young age.  He has been studying and performing dance for over 15 years under the training of Linda Muir-Finney. He has been teaching competitive and non-competitive dance for seven years. Austen has earned his associates degree in filmmaking: post production and editing. His two greatest passions are dance and filmmaking, bringing these two art forms together is his life purpose.

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.

CLARE JODZIO MCDERMOTT | STAGE MANAGER

Clare earned her B.A. in Theatre at Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, IA in 1997.  She then moved back to the Twin Cities and helped form The Chameleon Theatre Circle.   She worked as a founding board member for seven years.  During her time with the company she was involved in numerous productions both performing and directing.  After taking a hiatus to have two great kids she is excited to be sharing her knowledge of theatre.

MYKALA MICEK | BRANCHES, HEAD CHOREOGRAPHER

Mykala has been dancing for 24 years and teaching students of all ages for over a decade. She has had intense training in many dance styles and has taken workshops with some of the country’s top contemporary and jazz instructors. She’s also a certified 200hr yoga instructor and enjoys integrating anatomy, mental focus, and body awareness into her dance classes. Mykala holds a bachelor's degree in English, and master's degrees in Human Development and Counseling and Psychological Services.

TINA WALLUM

Tina’s 23 year performing career included principle and soloist work with Minnesota Dance Theatre, Ballet MN, Ballet Arts MN, Ballet of the Dolls, Savannah Ballet, and the Contemporary Ballet Company. She holds her BS from Radford University in Virginia. Tina has taught Ballet classes for Ballet Arts MN, Ballet MN, the Classical Ballet Academy, the Chinese Dance Theater and is currently teaching at the University of MN, Metro Dance Center, Dance Tech, Tu Dance and Out on a Limb. Her current scholarly research is in Mind-Body Centering which deeply enriches her work.

CHELSEA ROSE

Chelsea grew up dancing in the twin cities and realized pretty early on dance was her passion. Chelsea's performance career began over in the west coast where she had the opportunity to work on numerous film, television and music video projects. Since returning to the Twin Cities she has loved stepping into the role of an instructor and choreographer. Being able to share her passion and inspire young dancers brings her so much joy! Many of Chelsea's dances have been recognized for choreography and entertainment in the competition dance scene. Chelsea has choreographed for Ashland Productions, Hill Murray, Spotlight Education, and Twin Cities Theatre Camp. She is also a working performer in the St. Paul-Minneapolis Metro area. She has done commercial work, is a company member of Collide Theatrical and has worked in theatres such as The Ordway and History Theatre! Chelsea is so excited to work with Out on a Limb this season!

TERESA JACOBS

Teresa Jacobs, better known as "TJ," teaches acrobatics through our Limb Extensions program. She is a gymnast, dancer, actress, model and YouTube personality, and is also part of a professional performance company called Enticing Entertainments. TJ also coaches gymnastics and teaches tumbling.

TJ loves to sing and dance with her nieces and nephews, play the ukulele, and play with her puppy, Reid. 

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.

Maddie Hufford

Maddie was trained in ballet from the age of four in her hometown in PA. There, she performed in many shows, her favorite roles including Sugar Plum Fairy (Nutcracker) and Dorothy (The Wizard of Oz). Maddie has been teaching ballet for seven years and is so excited for her first year at Out on a Limb! She truly loves sharing her joy for ballet with all dancers in the studio.

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.