The Hamners Bio – Jim Barber Bio
meet some more members of our cast…
AJ Heard
Choreographer, Dancer, Magic Assistant
AJ Heard grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada, where she started taking dance and ice skating lessons at the age of 3. While growing up, her love of dance won out over skating, and at the age of 14 she began training with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. Upon leaving home at 17, she joined a Toronto based professional training program that is now known as the Randolph Dance Theater.
After performing in many trade shows, videos and movies, she was hired by Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines to perform in their onboard shows. This is where she met her now husband, Bucky Heard, who was working as a singer/cruise staff. They continued to perform at sea for 2 years before moving to Branson, Missouri. In Branson, AJ has performed and/or choreographed for a variety of shows including VanBurch & Wellford, Branson City Lights (where she first worked with The Hamners), Cracklin Rose, Jimmy Osmond’s American Jukebox, Pam Tillis, Les Brown and many others.
AJ is very happy to have found a home at the Hamner Barber Theater, where she is surrounded by friends of many years. Most recently, after 10 years of marriage, she and Bucky decided to have their first child, a little girl name Cydney Resse. Bucky is currently performing as Jake Blues (Blues Brothers) and John Cougar Mellancamp in the popular Branson production of Legends in Concert. Both AJ and Bucky look forward to many more years of entertaining in Branson.
Ken Brown
Dancer, Magic Assistant
Ken Brown is one of Branson’s favorite performers and has been featured in many major productions during the past 12 years. Growing up in Little Rock, Arkansas, Ken received most of his dance, vocal and acting training in his home state. He danced with Ballet Arkansas for six years as well as performing at Murry’s Dinner Playhouse.
Ken was also a featured dancer aboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines’ Sovereign of the Seas, Radiance of the Seas and Legend of the Seas. Before joining the Hamner Barber Variety Show, Ken also worked along side The Hamners and Jim Barber in Jimmy Osmond’s American Jukebox Show which had a successful run for two seasons in Branson. Affectionately referred to by the cast as “Downtown Kenny Brown,” Ken is a multi-talented entertainer and gives 110% to every performance.
Paul Linden
Technical Director
Paul has been active in consulting and design with holography, laser systems, video projection systems and theater lighting and automation since 1973, when he constructed the first holographic studio for the University of Kansas. His distinction started in 1968 when he won the Hawkeye, Iowa Science Fair at the age of 15 and was a finalist at the 19th International Science Fair. Paul graduated as the Outstanding Senior in Design (Independent Major) at the University of Kansas in 1975.
He has devoted his career to creating and applying technical innovations to the field of entertainment. This has included innovations in video presentation formats as well as early development of automated projection systems for 70mm film. He pioneered laser video projection systems and is inventor of 2 patents for laser video projection. His early innovations spurred the further development of video projection techniques that are now common in current theatrical stage productions.
Paul’s career achievements resulted in being distinguished by being listed in the 1998-1999 Marquis’ Who’s Who in the Midwest and the 2000 Marquis’ Who’s Who in America. His technical skills have been demonstrated in international shows for everyone from Heads of State to Heads of Fortune 500 companies and International Art Exhibits. His work has entertained audiences as small as 40 and as large as 1.5 Million people!
Paul Linden’s expertise and creative touch really adds to the magic of the Hamner Barber Variety Show and we are honored to have him as our Technical Director.
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