Marlena Tucker: Marlena was born in Queens, New York and moved to New Jersey. She began her dance career doing Step at the young age of 4 at North Stelton African Methodist Episcopal church. She has been involved in theater and dance for most of her life, attending Middlesex County Arts High School for Dramatic Improv and Theatre and performing in numerous theatrical productions. While pregnant with her son explored the North African art of belly dancing, traditionally called 'womb dance'. Upon moving to Vermont with her husband, a djembe player, her interest was sparked in West African dance and Marlena joined Jeh Kulu.
Molly Moerdyk: Molly was essentially blind to the art form of dance until joining dear friends to see Jeh Kulu perform at a school local to Rutland Vermont in 2005 where she was living at the time. Inspired to give it a try she started taking Belly Dance and West African Dance with Shelby Jones at Studio Bliss in Rutland. After a year she left family and friends to move to Burlington to complete her Bachelor’s Degree in Transpersonal Psychology at Burlington College and spend her spare time absorbing all she could about West African dance and culture under the tutelage of Jeh Kulu‘s Master Artists. Molly works as an Insurance Specialist at Visiting Nurse Association and aspires to travel to West Africa to learn the art form from the masters of Guinea and Senegal.
Amber Palladino: Amber started taking West African dance classes with Jeh Kulu in 2008, and joined the company as an apprentice in 2011. She also takes Zumba classes and is an active performer with Nightmare Vermont. Though much of Amber's time is spent working at her two jobs, she has a hard time turning down an opportunity to dance!
Dawn Palladino: Dawn started taking African Dance class with her sister Amber in January of 2008, and has been hooked ever since. She also started learning the Djembe drum, as well. Dawn didn't have any formal dance training before Jeh Kulu, but has had lots of experience dancing in the clubs and in her living room. She is also active in the community's local haunt attraction, Nightmare VT, where she acts and performs stage combat. Dawn has her Master's degree in Social Work and works as a case manager at the Champlain Valley Agency on Aging.
