Cast Same Love

Ariadna Martinez

Ariadna grew up with her family in the western part of Bern. From an early age, she was inspired by various artists. In 2018, she began taking different dance classes (hip hop, commercial, house) at Tanzwerk Bern and joined the show group 2nd Nation, with which she participated in numerous competitions. In 2022 and 2023, she was part of A Seat At The Table, a production by Anna Chiedza Spörri and Rena Brandenberger. This experience offered her insight into a completely different side of the Swiss dance scene, and she has been working closely with Anna ever since.

In addition to her role as a dancer, Ariadna is also part of the team for Anna’s new production Perspectives as an assistant and technical assistant. Ariadna completed an internship with the London-based company Alleyne Dance and has been part of the mentorship program Dive by Earle Garnette since September 2023. She now trains in the project Common Ground by Muhammed Kaltuk, which brings together dancers from diverse dance styles.

Earle Garnette

Earle Garnette was born and raised in Philadelphia. Early on, he was inspired by movement and knew he wanted to become a professional dancer. Starting with freestyle as a largely self-taught dancer, he later trained with various hip-hop pioneers in Philadelphia to deepen his knowledge. Joining the Academy of Phresh marked a turning point, as he began focusing more on choreography.

He completed the Motivating Excellence program in Los Angeles, led by American director and choreographer Rhapsody James and Nicco Annan. As a dancer, he earned numerous awards, including at World of Dance America. With the dance company I am Phresh, he toured the U.S. as both co-artistic director and dancer, performing at various venues.

In 2022, after being invited to join the international dance project The Big 5 by Pottporus/Renegade (Germany) and SILK FLÜGGE (Austria), Earle relocated to Switzerland. Since then, he has performed in various productions in Switzerland and London, participated in battles, and taught dance classes.

Egon Gerber

Egon Gerber has been dancing since he was 13 years old. Prior to his dance training, his focus was on urban dance. His keen interest in stage dance and contemporary dance forms led him to pursue professional training. Last summer, he completed a three-year training program in contemporary and urban dance at HF-ZUB in Zurich. Since then, he has collaborated with choreographers such as Jochen Heckmann, Luca Signoretti, Paula Lansley, Sarah Narbutas, Denise Lampart, Beatrice Götz, James Wilton, Muhammed Kaltuk Marco Volta, Muriel Mollet, and Olivia Hernandez. He is active on various stages in Switzerland, working on projects with other freelance dancers and developing his own works. Since 2020, he has been involved in various productions and collaborations with the company MEK.

Elina Kim

Born in Russia in 1995 and living in Switzerland since the age of eight, Elina Kim has a background in rhythmic gymnastics and ballet. As a career changer, she began her BA studies in Urban and Contemporary Stage Dance in 2022, which she is expected to complete in February. During her studies, Elina has already gained initial experience by participating in several smaller stage productions.

Lea Korner

Lea Korner has been dancing since the age of 5. Starting with ballet, she soon transitioned to jazz and contemporary dance. After completing her high school diploma, Lea undertook a six-month dance program at the Peridance Capezio Center in New York, where she trained not only in ballet, contemporary, and jazz but also in various street styles. In February 2023, Lea successfully earned her Bachelor of Arts in Contemporary & Urban Stage Dance from Tanzwerk101 in Zurich.

During her training, Lea had the opportunity to participate in various projects and collaborated with choreographers such as Muhammed Kaltuk, Luca Signoretti, Toschkin Schalnich, Lucas del Rio, Cédric Gagneur, Sabri Colin, and Emma Evelein. She was part of the national tour of Tanzfaktor 2022 (Lucas del Rio), Company MEK’s national and international tour of Father Politics, and performed as a guest in a production by Ballet Basel. She plays the lead role in the dance thriller SYNCOPE, directed by Linus von Stumberg and choreographed by Sarafina Beck.

Since 2019, Lea has also been teaching at various dance studios.

Sophie Gerber

At the age of five, Sophie Chioma Gerber (*2001) attended her first hip-hop class and immediately fell in love with the dance and its culture. While dancing in several show groups at the New Dance Academy, she completed her high school diploma at the Neufeld Sports Gymnasium from 2014 to 2019, focusing on hip hop and modern dance. She is set to complete her dance training at the Advanced Vocational Program for Contemporary and Urban Stage Dance in the summer of 2024.

In addition to teaching dance, Sophie is also active in social and activist work. As part of Etoclit, a feminist hip-hop group, she writes hooks, contributes to song production, and is currently developing her own approach to beat production.