Company

As Co-founder of The Culture House and Artistic Director for Störling Dance Theater, Mona Störling-Enna has choreographed such productions as Between Earth & Sky, Sower, Parables & Prayers and The Prodigal Daughter. 

The Prodigal Daughter was chosen by the Kansas City Star as one of the top 15 performances for 2003.  Of Mona, the K.C. Star wrote, “Mona Störling-Enna’s choreographic invention seems to have no limit.” 

Mona went on to choreograph and design new works including butterfly, Suspended Grace, The Little Match Girl and Underground, a powerful telling of the history and heroics of the Underground Railroad. 

Underground has been performed annually since its premiere in 2007. It was Mona’s first major collaboration with choreographer Tobin James and was touted by critic Paul Horsley as one of the “Top 10 Performances of the Decade” (2000-2009).  Underground continues, entering its 14th season of performances, and has become one of Kansas City’s most relevant and meaningful traditions. 

As America grapples with the effects of racism in its past and present, Störling Dance Theater has played its role in inspiring the community to care about each other in the spirit of the Underground Railroad. It is a powerful story for our time that reminding us all it isn’t about black versus white, but good versus evil.

Mona has been featured in Dance Studio Life magazine as one of America’s up and coming new choreographers as well as a guest teacher and choreographer for national dance conferences. 

In 2000, Mona and her husband, Jeremiah, established The Culture House Conservatory of the Arts, home to over 50 of the finest teaching artists in Kansas City and more than 700 students studying dance, theater, music and art.

She is most honored to have worked with Kathleen Schuler and Christiane Lisabe to establish a training program for dancers that has developed into Störling Conservatory of Dance, which offers an accredited Professional Certificate in Dance. 

Mona began her classical dance training at the Ostrobotningen Dance Academy in Kokkola, Finland, and went on to train under Jill Miller at Dansivintti in Helsinki.  She supplemented her training at the Paris Opera and Finnish National Ballet as she formed her first dance company in Helsinki, “Kadosh”, together with Titta Tunkkari. 

Mona received the Finnish Young Choreographers award in Helsinki for her work “In The Storm”.  She toured with Kadosh throughout Europe until she joined Eternia Dance Theater in 1992 as a soloist.  She became ballet mistress as well as costume designer for Eternia’s production Sacrifice. Mona’s choreography for “A Prayer For Bosnia” was requested for the vigil concert in the Blue Hall in Stockholm (where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded) where it was performed together with the top, upcoming conductors and orchestra musicians in honor of the needs in Bosnia at the time.  

Mona is married to American, Jeremiah Enna, and together they have four children, Niko, Iris, Noelle Rose and Richard Ellis.