Jon Ferguson is a theater and film director and maker. He has worked with some of the leading theater companies and practitioners in the UK and US including Hoipolloi & Shon Dale Jones, The John Wright Company, Told by an Idiot, Mary Zimmerman, Mark Rylance and The Guthrie Theater. Jon was named "2005 City Pages Artist of the Year", and his physical theater production Please Don’t Blow Up Mr. Boban, with Live Action Set, was chosen by the Minneapolis Star Tribune as the "Outstanding Experimental Theater Production of 2005" and named "Best Stage Production" by the Minneapolis City Pages - Best of the Twin Cities 2006. Other awards include: Sunday Times (UK) Ensemble Award, Time Out London Critic’s Choice and Victoria Fringe Festival “Best Comedy” Award, as well as numerous top 10 play of the year awards. Jon is the founder and Artistic Director of WLDRNSS for which he has directed and co-created all of their work since 2012 including; A Bun For a Door Handle (Forage Modern Workshop), The Brutes (The Machine Shop), Muy Very Authentic (Open Eye Figure Theater), The Big Show (Southern Theater), The Nature Crown (Guthrie Theater), Good Job Horses (Southern Theater) and The Venetian Twins (Southern Theater), When I Nod My Head You Hit it with The Hammer (Southern Theater). Selected previous work includes; Please Don't Blow up Mr. Boban (The Soap Factory and Loring Theater), We Are Ugly But We Have the Music (Bryant Lake Bowl), Ligustrum Vulgare (Bryant Lake Bowl), Or The White Whale (Southern Theater), You're my Favorite Kind of Pretty (Southern Theater), Animal Farm (Southern Theater), Super Monkey (Guthrie Theater), The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Red Eye Theater), Ubu Roi (CSB/SJU), Cymbeline (St. Olaf College), Rhinoceros (Concordia University). From 2018 to 2022 Jon resided in Bristol, England where he worked as a creative director at Screenology Film School and Production Company. His recently completed film The Cartographer won the Best Short Feature Award and Audience Choice at the 2022 Berlin Short Film Festival.

Helen Hatch is a Minneapolis-based performer, choreographer, and director. Recognized as one of MN Monthly’s 10 Artists to Watch in 2012, Helen began her career with Minnesota Dance Theatre, where she performed a diverse range of repertory and created her own choreographic works. In 2018, she formed Hatch Dance, which, under her direction, has produced critically acclaimed performances that combine dance, music, and theater, developed through innovative collaborative processes. Helen is a graduate of the Ailey/ Fordham University BFA program. Throughout her career, Helen has danced repertory by renowned choreographers including Christopher Bruce, Danny Buraczewski, Eliot Feld, Loyce Houlton, José Limón, and Glen Tetley. She has originated roles in works by Adam Barruch, Stefanie Batten Bland, Jon Ferguson, Penelope Freeh, Francesca Harper, Lise Houlton, Helen Pickett, Dominique Serrand, and many others. In addition to working extensively on freelance projects in MN and nationally, she has performed with The Moving Company and The Minnesota Opera. Her choreography has been presented at the Ailey Citigroup Theater, the 2011 Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out Festival, The Southern Theater, throughout Mexico and Guatemala by the Juntos Collective, and commissioned by Minnesota Dance Theatre, Saint Paul Ballet, Aveda, Mareck Dance, and The Cowles Center. In 2022, Helen was selected for the Choreographic Institute Residency at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. The following year, she served as an Artist in Residence at Moulin/Belle in Mareuil en Périgord, France. Since 2013, Helen has taught ballet throughout the Twin Cities and is currently a teaching artist at Saint Paul Ballet.

Karin Olson has been lighting live performance for over 20 years with dance companies BRKFST, AMP, SPDT, Combustible, Threads Dance Project, Collide Theatricals, and TU Dance. She has collaborated with design teams at the Gutherie, Penumbra, Mixed Blood, Artistry, Park Square Theatre, and Theatre Mu. She’s designed regionally for Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Syracuse Stage, Cleveland Playhouse, and Trinity Rep. Recent designs include Cambodian Rock Band at the Jungle and Taiko Arts Midwest’s HERbeat at the Ordway. Upcoming: MN Opera’s Song Poet at Luminary Arts Center, and Ku Fu Zombies Saga with Theater Mu. She has 2 cats, which is the perfect number of cats. More info at karinolsonlighting.com. 

Seth Conover is a songwriter and musician working in the Twin Cities. He fronts the indie-rock band Poolboy and has composes music for original dance performances. This is his fourth time collaborating with HATCH Dance and his first time collaborating with Jon Ferguson.

Joe Strachan is a musician based in the Twin Cities. Drawing from jazz, folk music, and the rhythms that move people, his work spans piano, improvisation, synthesizers, electronics, and music for dance. Joe has composed original works for Helen Hatch, Elayna Waxse and Da’Rius Malone. Recently, he has been touring with NY based Minnesota native Craig Finn and the Band of Forgiveness. Locally, he performs with groups like ThoughtCast, Tamarack Stylites, and Ahndendet. In addition to performing, Joe teaches piano and composition at the MacPhail Center for Music and at Sarah Jane's Music School. He also accompanies dance and musical theater at the University of Minnesota, St. Paul Ballet, Minnesota Dance Theater, and Ananya Dance Theater.

Remi Blakesley (she/her) is a dancer and choreographer originally from and based in the Twin Cities. She is currently dancing with TU Dance as a CULTIV ATE Trainee. Recently graduated from the Alonzo King Lines Ballet Training Program in San Francisco, she collaborated with renowned artists including Maurya Kerr, Moscelyne Parke Harrison, Brett Conway, Alejandro Perez, and Natasha Adorlee. During her time in San Francisco, Remi danced with Decentered Arts, blending improvisational movement with spoken word poetry. Also, her choreography was featured in Mark Foehringer’s emerging choreographers forum, performing at Joe Goode Annex and Dancing in the Park SF. In 2023 and 2024, she was a part of Complexions Contemporary Ballet’s Pre-professional Program, where she had the opportunity to dance at Detroit Music Hall and the Joyce Theater, performing choreography by Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson. In 2022, she was a corps member in Crash Dance Productions 2. Each opportunity deepened Remi’s love of dance and taught her to approach movement with joy and empathy, striving to build community through dance.

Artemis Brown is a non-binary twin cities dancer, actor, and massage therapist whose work involves theatrical devising, performance production, and paratheater technique education. Artemis is Artistic Associate with Hatch Dance, co-founder of Virginia Twins, and a principal collaborator with Experience Cult Research Group. Artemis has devised and performed in 7 original full length performances with Virginia Twins since founding the group in 2017, and Artemis made their debut with Hatch Dance in their 2023 dance theater performance PARADISE. They lead annual performance laboratory retreats with Experience Cult with the goal of deepening an awareness of how to sustainably live as a whole being in an ever fracturing world. When off the stage Artemis enjoys board games, camping, and learning about bodywork.

Juliana Johnson (she/her) is a dancer and creator from the Twin Cities, known for her dynamic presence and collaborative spirit. She attended the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists and earned dual degrees in dance and visual art from Fordham University in New York City. Locally, she has performed with companies such as Hatch Dance, HoneyWorks, STRONGmovement, Amez Dance, Corpus Dance Works, Analog Dance Works, Sod House Theater, Minnesota Opera, and TU Dance. In addition to performing, Juliana has worked as a dance educator and choreographer for nearly a decade, producing several original projects that reflect her multidisciplinary approach. Rooted in collaboration, she is driven by curiosity and connection, continually seeking new pathways for expression and growth within herself, her collaborators, and her community.

Kendall Marit Kramer is a dancer, performer, and choreographer currently splitting her time between Minneapolis and Cairo, Egypt. She holds a BFA in Dance Performance and a BA in Spanish Language from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX, where she studied with Minneapolis icon Danny Buraczeski. Kendall’s performance and choreographic work spans contemporary dance, film, and experimental performance. She has collaborated with artists and companies including Lower Left, Frame Dance, Psophonia Dance Company, Paula Mann, Analog Dance Works/Brenna Mosser, DanceCO, RJDT, and HoneyWorks/Berit Ahlgren. She is thrilled to return to Paradise and perform with this talented cast, Thanks to Helen Hatch and Jon Ferguson. In Cairo, Kendall works as a freelance artist and performs with a pickup company based at Yalla Dance Studio. Her dance films have screened at Dance Camera North (MN) and Mafra Dance Festival (Portugal). Kendall also teaches dance and Pilates internationally and is almost 5’3. She has a dog named Little Dog, and has a hunch she may enjoy raisins a bit more than the average person. 

Connor Simone (he/him) is a Twin Cities dancer, performing artist, and teacher. He received training at Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, the TU Dance School, and the University of Minnesota. Connor has previously danced with TU Dance, HoneyWorks, Hatch Dance, Threads Dance Project and most recently spent four seasons with James Sewell Ballet in Minneapolis. Connor has performed works by artists such as Marcus Willis, Kjara Wurst, Gregory Dolbashian, Berit Ahlgren, Gregory Vuyani Maqoma, Will Couture, Carl Flink, Sidra Bell, and Maurya Kerr among others. Alongside performing, he also teaches at Elevé Performing Arts Center.

Genevieve Waterbury (she/her) is an artist based in Minneapolis. Originally from Colorado, she spent her childhood in the mountains and the studios at Boulder Ballet before studying dance at Colorado State University. Genevieve then joined Nevada Ballet Theatre in Las Vegas where she collaborated annually with Cirque du Soleil. These years sparked an interest in dance theater, prompting her move to New York City. Dancing highlights in NYC include a residency at Kaatsbaan with Kogut Butoh, a lead dancing role in RED, a New Musical, dancing and modeling in New York Fashion Week for JAHNKOYxPUMA, and several seasons as a company member with nathantrice/RITUALS. Since moving to Minnesota, Genevieve has performed with Hatch Dance, Honeyworks, Supermoon Theater, Jagged Moves, Ballet Co.Laboratory, Christopher Watson Dance Company, and Sod House Theater. She’s has choreographed 4 full length ballets for Ballet Co.Laboratory, and works for Christopher Watson Dance Company, The River's Edge Series and The Soiled Dance Series. Genevieve is the Assistant Artistic Director of Ballet Co.Laboratory and teaches open ballet classes around the Twin Cities as well as private lessons in the Gyrotonic Movement System at Sunna. 

Annika Knutson (she/her) is a Twin Cities based mental health therapist who takes any chance she can get to be involved with dance. Growing up, she trained at Minnesota Dance Theatre before attending San Francisco Ballet School. After two degrees in Psychology, she loves to bring her love of organization to the administrative side of the arts.