Erik Osterkil (he/him) is a dancer, teacher, and choreographer from Fort Wayne, Indiana. Erik graduated summa cum laude from the SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance in 2021, with a concentration in Dance Composition. He studied abroad at the Taipei National University of the Arts in 2019, and he has also trained at the Academy of Movement and Music, the Hubbard Street Youth Dance Program, and the Lou Conte Dance Studio Scholarship Program. Erik danced for three seasons with the New York-based contemporary dance company EMERGE125, and he recently performed the role of Romeo in Hudson Ballet Theatre’s R&J. Erik has also performed in works by José Limón, Jerome Robbins, Norbert De La Cruz III, FLOCK, and Doug Varone, and he has guested across the country in several classical ballet productions. sy.

Absalon Figueroa trained at the Orlando Ballet School under the direction of Fernando Bujones and danced with the Orlando Ballet Company. He later joined the faculty as a teacher, conditioning instructor, and company pianist. Absalon was on faculty at Arts Umbrella Dance and served as company pianist for Ballet BC in Vancouver. He completed his teacher trainings in New York City at the American Ballet Theatre, and in Havana at the Ballet Nacional de Cuba. Absalon is an ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training in all levels of the ABT® National Training Curriculum. He has taught at Alexander Academy of Performing Arts since 2015.

Jennifer Oberg has been busy with design, costume production and dressmaking for over 30 years. She has worked on staff at the Shakespeare Theatre at the Folger (King Lear, Richard III, Othello), Washington Opera in Washington D.C. (La Bohème, The Magic Flute), and Old Globe in San Diego (Forever Plaid), working with Tony Award–winning designers Martin Pakledinez and Zack Brown. In Hollywood, she built costumes for numerous film and TV projects working with Emmy‑winning designers Robert Blackman and Kathy O’Rear, and Academy Award–nominated designers Aggie Guerard Rodgers and others. She is a member of IATSE Local 705 Motion Picture Costumers in LA as a costume‑manufacturing foreperson and studied at FIDM in LA and the London College of Fashion. On Maui, Jennifer has served as Costume Director for Alexander Academy of Performing Arts (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Swan Lake, La Bayadère, and The Nutcracker) and Maui OnStage (Seussical, Murder on the Orient Express, Come From Away, and A 1940s Radio Christmas Carol), with Seussical winning Best Costume Design from BroadwayWorld Hawaii. She and her husband, artist Craig Mullins, have lived on Maui since 2001, raising Micah and Sara Oberg. www.jenniferoberg.com

The Sewing Hui serves the Maui community by creating sewn items for nonprofit organizations and their constituents. Founded by Jennifer Oberg in 2020, the organization has worked with over 80 groups and more than 100 volunteers, including residents and visitors. Volunteers produce costumes, clothing, blankets, wheelchair and walker bags, Christmas stockings and other sewn items for keiki, kūpuna, healthcare providers, shelters, schools, and performing arts organizations. After the 2023 wildfires, volunteers organized a pillowcase drive and a sewing supply drive to support residents who lost everything in the fire. The Hui runs a sustainability program repurposing textile scraps into giant teddy bears that are donated to schools, offers sewing socials to the community for mending and repairing clothing, beginner sewing workshops, and creates Hawaiian apparel for Maui schools’ cultural events and celebrations. The Sewing Hui also revived and reimagined the Maui County Fair Fiber Arts Show, bringing it back after 6 years to strong community participation and accolades. www.thesewinghui.com