CLAIRE DIERINGER

Company Member of Mutual Dance Theatre

Claire Dieringer is a 2016 graduate of Kent State University, from which she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Magna Cum Laude. Claire has worked professionally as the director of the dance program at Lake Bryn Mawr Camp in Pennsylvania, and as a dance educator at several studios. In 2017, Claire joined both MamLuft&Co. Dance and Seven Dance Company. She is now MamLuft&Co. Dance’s Education and Outreach Coordinator, as well. As a student, Dieringer was a member of the Kent Dance Ensemble and performed in faculty-choreographed concerts. In 2014, she performed at American College Dance Association and also studied at American Dance Festival in Durham, North Carolina, studying with numerous teachers in multiple styles from all over the world. Dieringer previously served as the President of the Student Dance Education Organization of Kent State. Claire was recognized on the Dean’s List every semester of her college career while also receiving many accolades such as the Dance Faculty Award for Service to the dance division and Outstanding Achievement Award as an Emerging Artist Award.

SUSAN HONER, MFA

Formerly of Mutual Dance Theatre

Susan Honer hails from Virginia and has been performing and choreographing in Southwest Ohio since 2008. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Hollins University in 2004 and her Master of Fine Arts in Dance from Hollins University/American Dance Festival in 2008. She has studied with renowned teachers and artists such as Donna Faye Burchfield, David Dorfman, Jennifer Nugent, Gerri Houlihan, Douglas Becker, Miguel Gutierrez, and Pamela Pietro. Susan worked with Mutual Dance Theatre (then MamLuft&Co. Dance) from 2010-2019 as a dancer, choreographer, and company director. She has set her own work on regional ballet schools including Northwest Florida Ballet and Southwest Virginia Ballet. She has travelled to universities to set Müda repertory on universities such as Kent State and Northern Kentucky University. Susan regularly collaborates with sound and multimedia artist Sean Simon to create original music for her work. Susan’s work Iceman 3000 received an NEA grant through Müda which premiered at the Cincinnati Art Center in 2018. Her work has been seen at festivals in North Carolina for the Merge Records’ 20th Anniversary Performance, Connecticut College’s Art and Technology Symposium, Cincinnati’s Area Choreographer’s Festival, at the WUK in Vienna, Austria, and in Virginia and New York City. Susan is owner of Present Body Pilates in Dayton, Ohio where she teaches Pilates, Roll Model Method® self myofascial release, and SmartSpine© Therapeutic Bodywork. She also currently serves as Mutual Dance Theatre’s Associate Curator for its Jefferson James Contemporary Dance Theater Series.

STEVIE LAMBLIN

Company Member, Mutual Dance Theatre

Stevie Lamblin was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio. They were a member of Dayton Contemporary Dance Company for 8 years (initially as a three-year member of the second company before being promoted to the first). They have had the immense pleasure of working professionally with Donald Byrd (Spectrum Dance Theater), Bridget L. Moore and Ray Mercer (Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater), Francesca Harper (Ailey II), Ronald K. Brown (EVIDENCE), Keisha Lalama, Crystal Michelle and Debbie Blunden-Diggs (DCDC), and Robert J. Priore, among others. They attribute much of their growth as an artist to the mentorship of Shonna Hickman-Matlock and Qarrianne Blayr (Director and Associate Artistic Director of DCDC, respectively). One of Stevie’s favorite memories as a professional was performing “This I Know for Sure” by Ray Mercer at the Shanghai Dance Festival in China. Stevie retired in 2020…or so they thought! Stevie joined Mutual Dance Theatre in 2021. They are humbled to be able to continue their passion of dancing and hope to continue to grow as an artist. Stevie also holds a Master’s of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Wright State University. When they are not on stage or working with clients, they can be found sculpting, painting, or playing with their pet jumping spiders.

JOHN LITZLER

Formerly of River North Dance Chicago

John Litzler was raised just outside of Cincinnati, Ohio where he developed his passion for movement. Litzler received a B.F.A. in Dance with a concentration in jazz from Point Park University under the direction on Susan Stowe. While attending Point Park University, he appeared in works choreographed by Kiesha Lalama-White, Christopher Huggins, Kevin Iega Jeff, Garfield Lemonius, Gerald Arpino, and Trey McIntyre to name a few. Upon graduation, he accepted a company position with River North Dance Chicago where he performed and toured internationally for two years. During this time performing works by choreographers like Frank Chaves, Ivan Perez, Sherry Zunker, and Adam Barruch. He decided to focus on developing his own movement language and left the company to freelance. First venturing to spend a year working as a professional dancer in Los Angeles, getting the opportunity to perform with artist Sia at Coachella and Boston Calling. His love for choreography drove him to relocate to Cincinnati, Ohio to follow his own creative journey. Since returning to his hometown he has been able to produce and perform work with his partner Cody Szarko. They have conceived and performed their own full-length show as 2ManMovement, choreographed for a local company, and presented at a TEDX. John performed the lead as Joseph in the 2019 Aronoff premier of Awaited. Apart from his own performing he has a love for teaching and expanding his knowledge for the art. He has been on faculty for TRIBE Dance for several years as well as appearing for master classes across North America. When not working in the arts, John enjoys spending time with his dogs and exploring new places.

JEANNE MAM-LUFT

Artistic and Executive Director of Mutual Dance Theatre and Arts Center

Jeanne Mam-Luft is the Artistic and Executive Director of Mutual Dance Theatre and Arts Center, founded as MamLuft&Co. Dance. She holds Master of Fine Arts in Dance from Texas Woman’s University and a Bachelor of Architecture from Carnegie Mellon University. Mam-Luft is certified in Labanotation from the Dance Notation Bureau (NY).

As an artist-producer, Mam-Luft has worked with numerous Cincinnati organizations, including Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Contemporary Arts Center, and Clifton Cultural Arts Center, producing 18 evening length works and 61 shorter works (35 of which were her own works). She was the first and only dance artist to be named a Cincinnati Arts Ambassador Fellow in support of an original dance-for-camera she choreographed, filmed, and edited in 2014-2015. Most of her works are spurred by her personal history as an immigrant and a refugee of the Cambodian genocide, which led to the death and continued impoverishment of many of her family members. As a choreographer, her interests lie in human connections and energy created by spatial relationships.

She served on the board of OhioDance (the state-wide organization for dance) for 6 years, was Assistant Director of Contemporary Dance Theater for 4 years, and is a founding member of Greater Cincinnati Dance Alliance. Mam-Luft has served on the governance committee of the local chapter of Ohio Alliance for Arts Education.

She has guest-taught and/or set work on university students at Texas Woman’s University, University of Cincinnati, University of Kentucky, Wittenberg University, Northern Kentucky University, Tarrant County College, and Kent State, where she was an artist-in-residence in 2016.

Mam-Luft has also worked for several architectural design firms and is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional. She is also a professional designer and photographer, a hobby baker, and a mother.

SHAUNA STEELE

Chair of Dance Department at University of Cincinnati (Graduate of University of Michigan and Indiana University)

An administrator and educator with nearly two decades of experience, Shauna Steele most recently taught at Michigan’s Hope College where she taught dance history and criticism, jazz, modern, improvisation, assisted the historic and social dance sections, and mentored Student Dance Showcase choreographers. From 2011-18 Steele served as the dance program director and associate professor of dance at Anderson University in Indiana.

Steele is the founder and artistic director of Mocha Dance Project – which pursues projects engaging the fusion of photography, video, dance and collaboration – and was the associate director for RusticGroove Dance.

Her research interests include dance in world culture and context, Africanized movement in the Diaspora of Western culture (specifically Afro-Cuban and Afro-Caribbean), the influences of Celtic traditions on art and movement, the function of art in restricted or repressed environments, and body movement logic.

She was the artistic director of Parallel Differences youth dance and the Associate Instructor for the Indiana University African American Arts Institute’s dance company. Her choreography has appeared in Robert Hay-Smith’s Pollen: The Musical, RADfest, The Tank NYC, Midwest RADfest, the Arizona Positivity Project and the Ypsilanti Fringe Festival. She has taught master classes in Roots of Jazz Dance and served as dance faculty at Grand Valley State University, Eastern Michigan University, Anderson University and the University of Michigan’s MPulse summer dance institute.

Steele has lead master classes and workshops in improvisational movement, African dance, modern dance, jazz, Afro-jazz and hip hop. Her professional credits include Windfall Dancers, African American Dance Company, Dancers Studio Inc., Sancocho: Musica and Dance Collage and Ann Arbor Dance Works. She has performed in Robin Wilson’s Slave Moth, in Alexandra Beller’s Reasons for Moving and in Gay Delanghe’s Motor Tango/Tangle.

Her past projects include Millstones in August 2010 and The Positivity Project in Tempe, Arizona in October 2010. Her current choreography projects include Disobedient Objects/Caged Bird Legacy (a site-specific work), Sacred Ground (an evening length concert in three parts), /ˈākər/ (which delves into compulsive behavior and the need to sort, measure and catalogue), Leyenda in Winter (a dance for camera work), Still Frame (a video dance project) and Passengers (a contemporary modern work).

A published dance scholar, Steele’s co-authored textbook, “Experiencing Dance: A Creative Approach to Dance Appreciation” (2011), examines the ever-changing culture of dance and provides a basic historical context and appreciation of dance as an art form. Her research articles include Exploring Choreographic Responsibility through the ‘Cultural Lens’ (2013); Drawing Parallel Lines: Dance, Architecture, and Society (2009); and Drawing Parallel Lines in Dance, Architecture, and Society: African American Modern Dance, and Jewish Deconstructivist Architecture (2006), among others.

Steele received her MFA in Dance Choreography and Performance with a focus area in History and Technology from the University of Michigan in 2006, and a BGS in Arts and Humanities with a focus area in Cultural Anthropology and Dance from Indiana University in 2002. She is a member of the American College Dance Association, World Dance Alliance and the National Dance Education Organization.

CODY SZARKO

Formerly of Visceral Dance Chicago

Cody Szarko is a native of Toronto, Canada. He trained under the direction of Vlad at Vlads Dance Company in Richmond Hill Ontario. Furthering his artistic ability, he obtained his BFA in dance at Point Park University with a concentration in jazz. Upon completion of his degree, he was offered a contract with Visceral Dance Chicago, a contemporary dance company. Throughout his career, he has performed works by world renowned choreographers such as Ohad Naharin, Monica Cervantes, Alejandro Cerrudo, Robyn Mineko Williams, Sidra bell, and Banning Boudin. Cody relocated to Los Angeles, California, starting a new chapter in his life as a freelance dancer. He has performed and filmed with the band, Celtic Thunder, as well in the Miss America Organization as a guest artist. Cody had the opportunity to choreograph and star in FreekBass’s “Your love is always on time” music video bringing his choreographic process and vision to film. Cody moved with his partner John Litzler to Cincinnati where he has resided since 2016. They created and performed in a full length work under the name 2ManMovement. 2ManMovement has performed throughout the city, choreographed on a local company and in 2018 was invited to dance at a TEDX on innovation. Cody most recently was featured as “Adam” in the 2019 production of Awaited at the Aronoff Theatre. When not performing, Cody flourishes in teaching movement across North America connecting body and mind through his movement language. He has taught for various conventions such as TRIBE dance as well as POWERPAK and continues to teach master classes throughout North America. Cody enjoys cooking, gardening, yoga, and spending time with his dogs.

SHANE OHMER

Cincinnati-based artist Shane Ohmer is presently an Adjunct Professor of Dance at the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music. Mr. Ohmer was the Associate Dance Captain for the Broadway Tour of The Phantom of the Opera where he initiated the development of the “how-to” manual for teaching the production. Mr. Ohmer has appeared in Susan Stroman’s “The Merry Widow” at The Metropolitan Opera, the world touring hit dance show “Rock the Ballet”, Flashdance – the Musical 1st National Broadway Tour, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Whim W’him, River North Chicago Dance Company and as a Principal guest artist for various companies around the world. Shane trained in Dance/Musical Theater at Cincinnati’s School For Creative and Performing Arts and Pacific Northwest Ballet School in Seattle.

Commercial work includes appearances on Law and Order SVU, David Letterman, Dos Equis Adverts,  Warby Parker , GQ magazine, and runway shows for Commonwealth Utilities and Armani Exchange. Shane has created choreography for New York Fashion Week designers The Blonds, L’Officiel Hommes Video, numerous competitive dance pieces, stage plays, and musical reviews.

Shane’s mission is to expand his performing career, educate emerging artists, produce creative choreography, and direct movement that pushes boundaries for Dance and  Musical Theater in live and digital spaces.

“Statuesque Shane Ohmer, the lead male dancer, is clean and airborne, his jetes and turns thrilling, his star power unmistakable.” — Chicago Tribune

“Shane Ohmer (a potent new addition to Whim W’Him)… delivers a giddy, long-limbed solo that somehow embodies the jubilant pull of flesh to flesh without going into anatomical specifics.” — The Seattle Times

“Ohmer was the picture of masculinity—his muscled chest bared for a solo piece, his limbs solid yet graceful in their execution of movement.” — CityArts

“Shane Ohmer was a standout as a feature dancer. His passionate duets… revealed not only his impeccable technique but also his ability to connect emotionally to the audience.” — Examiner.com

“… dancing Lamborghinis (including Shane Ohmer, briefly of River North Dance Chicago) zooms into town.” — Time Out Chicago

“New York dance rebel Shane Ohmer is bringing his particular brand of physical expression to the Fringe stage with Rock the Ballet.” — Edinburgh Festivals Magazine