Our Judges
Jill Grundstrom
Jill Grundstrom is Artistic Director, Assistant Department Head, and an Assistant Professor in Northern Michigan University’s Department of Theatre and Dance. She holds a B.S. from NMU in Secondary Education with majors in English and French, an M.A. in Dance Education from New York University, and an Ed.S. from NMU in Educational Leadership. Jill is pursuing an Ed.D. in Dance Education with a concentration in Dance Science at Columbia University. She is certified in the Luigi Jazz Technique, American Ballet Theatre’s National Training Curriculum, is a Certified FLX Conditioning Specialist, and is a Hamrick Method Master Trainer. Jill has choreographed over 30 full-length musical and dance productions in New York City, Los Angeles, Italy, and the Upper Peninsula, including a full-length, original ballet, East of the Sun, West of the Moon (NMU). She also choreographed an independent feature-length film, Our State Fair. She has previously worked with Superior Arts Youth Theatre, the National Dance Education Organization, American Ballet Theatre, and Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance.
Mark Hamari
Mark Hamari, aka “Ham”, is proud to join the judging crew for this year‘s DWOS. As a two-time dancer, along with his wife T., he knows firsthand the dedication, time and effort the dancers and dance pros put into their performances. Ham is the co-owner of Marquette Wallpaper & Paint in downtown Marquette, and is a member of several local bands including The Union Suits, The Palestras, and the Marquette Rockestra. He is looking forward to an evening of fun and hijinks with Rick and Jill and the rest of the crew, and thanks EVERYONE for supporting this most worthy cause!!
Rick Rhoades
Rick originally came from the downstate area in 1992, graduating from Gwinn High School in 1996. Later that fall he attended NMU as a music major. Rick began his career at TV6/FOX-UP in the fall of 2003 after his wife cut out an ad from The Mining Journal advertising the job opening. He started as an Account Executive selling advertising for TV6 for 7 years. In the summer of 2010, Rick was promoted to Local Sales Manager where he lead his sales team to record local sales until he was promoted to Vice President/General Manager in the spring of 2017. Currently Rick sits on the boards of the Economic Club of Marquette and the Lake Superior Community Partnership. Rick also serves as an officer on the LSCP and was just named to the Marquette Ambassadors. He also serves on the Finance committee for Bethany Lutheran Church in Ishpeming. Rick and his wife Jamie won the Mirror Ball in 2018. Rick and Jamie have 2 daughters and their favorite place to vacation is Riviera Maya in Mexico!
