Core Company Members
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PAMELA DEBIASE’s dance training began in her hometown of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, but she had itchy feet and headed off to Leeds, UK, where she graduated from the Northern School of Contemporary Dance in 1999 with distinctions in choreography and performance. She has performed internationally, as far East as Taiwan all the way to California in the West. Her LA credits include 6 yrs as a principal dancer for the Regina Klenjoski Dance Company and is currently a core member of the Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre. She was nominated both in 2006 and 2007 for a “Lester Horton Award” for Outstanding Female Performance. In 2008 she won the “Excellence in Arts Award” from the City of Torrance Cultural Arts Commission. She currently teaches for the Everybody Dance! program in downtown LA run by the Gabriella Axelrad Education Foundation, and heads up her own contemporary dance program at Boogiezone Utopia in Torrance. Pamela is also a certified Pilates instructor, training many LA Westsiders to create strong and flexible bodies. |
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JESSICA EMMANUEL was raised in New York where she studied dance at the BOCES Cultural Arts Center. In 2006 she received a BFA in dance performance and choreography at the California Institute of the Arts. As well as working with various choreographers in Los Angeles, she is also a founding member of Poor Dog Group. She has toured through the US and Europe with Poor Dog Group, a Los Angeles based collective of performance and media artists. Jessica began collaborating with Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre in 2007. Jessica currently teaches dance and pilates in Los Angeles. | |
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NICK HEITZEBERG deepened his dance education and formalized his training at Loyola Marymount University, from which he graduated in 2007 with a B.A. in Dance and Studio Arts. There he received technical instruction and artistic guidance from locally and nationally recognized artists such as Holly Johnston, Maria Gillespie, Hassan Christopher, Damon Rago, and Scott Heinzerling. Upon earning his degree, he migrated seamlessly into the professional community to work with a number of Los Angeles based companies including Regina Klenjoski Dance Company, Ledges and Bones Dance Company, Company of Strangers, Palindrome Performance Group, Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre, and Kdub Dance. He has also had the privilege of working alongside Argentine Tango masters Miriam Larici and Hugo Patyn. Currently, Nicholas is employed at Renaissance Arts Academy as a dance educator. | |
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JA-YOUNG KIM was born in Seoul, Korea. She began her training at age nine. She trained at the Kubo Dance Academy and also attended Seoul Arts High School. Ja-Young then attended Korea National University of Arts and graduated with a B.F.A. in Modern Dance in 2008. Some of Ja-Young's workshop experiences include those taught at Ultima Vez, Centre Choreographique National De Nantes and anoukvandijk dc. Ja-Young has performed in Europe, Asia, Central America and North America. She relocated to Los Angeles in 2009 and has worked with Winifred Harris' Between the Lines Dance company, Born Dance Company and Sarah Elgart Arrogant Elbow Productions. Ja-Young currently works with String Theory Productions, BodyTraffic and Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre. | |
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MARISSA LABOG is the Rehearsal Director of Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre and a member of the company since 2003. She is a Lucille Morrison scholarship recipient and is honored with the Palm Desert Solo Award, an Ovation Award nomination, and a Lester Horton Award for Outstanding Performer for her work in All About Eve created by Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre. Marissa earned her BA in Dance and English from Scripps College and is founder and director of the performance group One Step Ahead, which works with inner- city youths. Commercially, she has been privileged to work with such artists as Tina Turner, Christina Aguillera, LL Cool J, T-Pain, Sean Paul, N’Sync, Toni Basil, K-OS, and Slum Village. She has also appeared on countless commercials including Nike, iPod, Coke, T-Mobile, AT&T, and Hyundai. Her TV and Film credits include, Shake It Up, That’s So Raven, MTV Movie Awards, the Emmy’s, Jimmy Kimmel Live, House Bunny, Bratz, Bring It On All or Nothing, I Kissed a Vampire, Colombiana directed by Olivier Megaton, and award winning Go For It! directed by Carmen Marron. | |
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ROBERTO C. LAMBAREN (Rawbzilla) began dancing in the early 90's. He was first introduced to breaking by his best friend. Liking the pure strength, lack of any boundaries, and the complete openness for creativity, Rob dove into it. For the next four years he organized practices at the local park teaching kids, adults, friends, whoever wanted to learn. Honing in on his skills and expanding his movement vocabulary, breaking seeped into the everyday aspects of his life. Rob is influenced by objects such as toys, mechanical devices, playground equipment, characters in cartoons and movies, anything that had nothing to with structured dance. He created a very unique style of breaking, earning him the name “Rawbzilla” a name given to him because of his love for old Godzilla movies and a desire to be in them. Since then he has traveled the world competing, judging and teaching. He has won several competitions and appeared in some movies. He is very humbled and honored to have had the opportunity to influence many dancers from around the world. |
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CARLOS RODRIGUEZ, a native of El Salvador, was raised in California since the age of ten and started his dance training at age 17. He trained at Santa Ana College and at the ADF School in North Carolina. While at school he performed works by David Doorfman, Donald Mackayle, Gail Gilbert and Andrea Woods. Carlos also performed works by Heather Gillette as an American College Dance Festival Finalist. Other credits include performances with Dance Touring Ensemble from Orange County, Notoriety Inc., Pasadena Civic Ballet, APAP in New York City, Dancers Responding to AIDS in NYC and Fusion Dance Theater. Carlos teaches in residency with Regina Klenjoski Dance Company at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center in the city of Torrance and is currently also a member of Oni dance. |
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JOE SCHENCK began performing with HDDT in 2010. Joe has danced with Open Gate Theatre Ensemble and Diavolo Dance Theatre, where he served as Director of Education for 2 years. Other LA performances include Fidelio at LA Opera, Can-Can at Pasadena Playhouse, Oliver! at Civic Light Opera South Bay Cities and an appearance on ABC’s “Eli Stone.” Joe earned his degree in Theatre at Northwestern University. Before moving to LA in 2006, he performed with such Chicago theatres as Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre, Marriott Theatre, Apple Tree Theatre, Porchlight Music Theatre and Light Opera Works. He has toured nationally and internationally with sketch comedy group GayCo. An active teaching artist, Joe currently teaches at the LA County High School for the Arts, Gabriella Charter School, Everybody Dance!, and The Sweat Spot. |
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WILFRIED SOULY was born in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso a small country in West Africa, and began studying and performing dance, music, and theatre at a young age with the internationally acclaimed and award winning artistic ensemble “ Le Bourgeon Du Burkina”. Pairing his love of dance with the martial arts, Wilfried was also a member of his country’s Taekwondo national team for years, winning the prestigious title of West Africa’s best fighter in 2004. Wilfried is on faculty at the UCLA Worlds Arts & Culture. He teaches for The Heart Project Program, the Fullerton School District, and the LA’s Best after school program, performing at the Kodak Theater and events hosted by “So U think U can Dance”. Wilfried Souly is also an internationally performing member of Baker & Tarpaga Dance Project and the Dafra West African Dance and drumming ensemble. Wilfried is US National Champion 2010 of Taekwondo, (Gold Medal in Heavy Weight Division), and is currently teaching West African community classes at "Your Neighborhood Studio" in Culver City. | |
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EVA HEGGE WILDER received a BA in World Arts and Cultures/Dance, with a minor in music history, from UCLA, and has also studied at the School of Contemporary Dance in Oslo, Norway, and at the Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance in Austria. In addition to her work with Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre, Eva has been honored to perform with Victoria Marks, Maria Gillespie, Helios Dance Theater, Barak Marshall, and Katie Faulkner. She is a founding member of IN/EX Dance Project in Los Angeles, and her work has been presented at Highways Performance Space, Anatomy Riot, Jacob's Pillow, and the UCLA Hothouse Choreography Residency. Eva has a Pilates, GYROTONIC® and CranioSacral Therapy practice in San Francisco. |
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Other Performers & Collaborators Andre Andreev, Photographer |
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