Donna Von Joo-Tornell has an A.A. in dance from Cabrillo College, where she received the Roberta Bristol Award for Excellence in Dance. She has a B.A. in dance from San Jose State University, where she is currently at work on her master’s degree in Theater Arts. She has performed with Margaret Wingrove Dance Company, Limón West Dance Company, Limón Company, and UDT (University Dance Theater) at San Jose State. She has choreographed more than a dozen pieces and seen them produced through Dance Romanesque, DanceWorks, Choreographers Collective, and Eddie Gale's Concert for World Peace. Most recently her work was seen at Modernbook/Gallery 494 in Palo Alto, California. In addition she is a resident dance artist for ArtPath and Young Audiences San José and Silicon Valley, programs that bring dance to primary schools. Finally, she has been a dancer for a diverse collection of choreographers: Sharon Took-Zozaya, Kim Shipp, Emilie Plauché, Rick Heiman, Erica Essner, Fred Mathews, Gary Masters, Robert Regala, Sylvie Minot, and others. Through workshops she has had the opportunity to work with Ralph Lemon, Daniel Nagrin, Carlos Orta, Nina Watt, Carla Maxwell, Raphaél Boumaila, and Ernestine Stodelle.

Helena Birecki joined Atelier 5 in May 2002 and has since enjoyed the collaboration and innovation of the company. In addition to her work with Atelier 5, Helena currently teaches, choreographs, and performs throughout the Bay Area with DanceVisions, High Release Dance, Dance Is It, and the Lively Foundation. Helena’s emphasis is modern dance, but she has also studied ballet, jazz, rhythmic gymnastics, folkloric dance, and salsa. Helena holds a BFA in Modern Dance from the University of Michigan and is a certified Pilates instructor.

Lisa Christensen earned her BFA in Modern Dance from Texas Christian University and an ME in Eduation with a specialization in dance from Stanford University. Lisa, who is also a physical therapist, has performed with Janlyn Dance Company, Moving Through Life, and Spector Dance. Other interests and passions are aerial dance, costume design, and play writing.

Tuan Anh Le has a BS in Economics from Santa Clara University and an AA in Massage Therapy from De Anza College and began to dance with Atelier 5 in the fall of 2004. He has danced with Margaret Wingrove Dance Company and De Anza Dancers. His dance interests are in jazz and modern, as well as tap.