Alumni & Friends

We are proud of the accomplishments of our W&M Dance alumni. Many have been active in the Dance Program through performances with Orchesis and the Dance Minors Concert, and some have gone on to pursue professional dance careers in the United States and abroad. Over the years quite a few have been accepted into graduate programs in dance or movement arts including the California Institute of the Arts, Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre, Florida State University, Goucher College, NYU-Tisch School of the Arts, Ohio State University, Sarah Lawrence College, University of California - Los Angles, University of Illinois, University of Michigan, and University of Utah. Some graduates have pursued training in other movement studies such as Pilates, yoga and the Alexander Technique.

Other alums have pursued careers in such diverse disciplines as medicine, environmental testing, law, journalism, psychiatry, social work, teaching (K-12, university, special programs), physical therapy, museum education, business, counseling, professional singing, acting, and university admissions. Many of these alums also include dance in their daily lives by continuing to take classes, teaching, performing and choreographing for local or regional companies, and participating in ballroom dance competitions.

You can send us your news using our online update form or sending an email to Joan Gavaler ([[jsgava]]).  We'd like to hear from you!

John Taylor ('82) is teaching, performing and choreographing in Amsterdam. He is currently working with choreographers, Beppie Blankert and Bianca van Dillen. Both Linda Foster ('74) and Keith Ferrone ('83) are living in Italy. Keith is artistic director of Florence Dance Company. Linda received her degree in dance from Cal Arts and was a member of Donald Byrd's original company, The Group. She is currently active as a choreographer and Pilates teacher and has created a new website, lindafostermoves.com. Uyen-Minh Dinh ('03) traveled to West Africa in the Summer of 2006 to pursue research with the Sankofa Center for African Dance and Culture as part of her master's work in Public Policy.

In New York City, Briana Yacavone ('02) recently joined the Broadway company of Wicked. Kathryn Westwater ('85) has presented her choreography at Dance Theatre Workshop and through the Dancspace Project. She is a guest faculty member at Sarah Lawrence College. Lynne Balliette ('85) teaches Pilates privately and at STEPS while Drew Stark ('02) has been performing with Dance New Amsterdam as well as in musical theatre productions touring throughout the country. Stephanie Oakes (’05) is dancing with Gina Gibney and Stacy (Williamson) Sumpman ('95) has performed in the Cunningham Repertory Group, teaches at the Cunningham Studio, and works with the Cunningham archives. Jane Kotapish ('93) has been dancing in New York City with various choreographers for the past 12 years (with a one-year break to get her Master's in Creative Writing at St. Andrews in Scotland). Also in New York, Catherine Mapp ('75) has presented choreography at Carnegie Recital Hall, Joseph Papp's Public Theatre, Portland Performing Arts Center and Downtown Dance/nyc. She is a faculty member in the Fine and Performing Arts Department at Iona College where she founded the Dance Program in 1992. Nancy Nasworthy ('75) performed for many years in the Kenneth Rinker Company. Mark Stanley ('78), lighting designer for the NYC Ballet, first honed his skills designing lighting for Orchesis concerts at the College.

Lisa Jo Sagolla, Ed.D. ('80) is the Dance and Movement columnist for Backstage magazine, an entertainment-industry trade publication. She also serves as the Backstage dance "blogger" and as a dance and theatre critic. Her reviews and blog entries can be accessed on the Backstage website. Dr. Sagolla is the author of The Girl Who Fell Down: A Biography of Joan McCracken. Katherine McGinnis ('63) received her Ph.D. in history from UNC-Chapel Hill. She taught dance history and Renaissance and Baroque dance at North Carolina School of the Arts and currently teaches at UNC-Greensboro and Washington & Lee University. She is an active member of the Society of Dance History Scholars and the Renaissance Society of America. Porter Anderson ('75) is a highly regarded dance critic who has interviewed Nureyev, Baryshnikov, Gregory Hines and Alvin Ailey. He has been a journalist for 24 years and is an 11-year veteran of CNN.

Cheronne Wong (’89) is choreographing and dancing professionally in Seattle with Pat Graney. Elizabeth Correia Borromeo ('95) is the Director of the Children's and Modern Divisions at Columbia Dance Company and School in Vancouver, Washington. Renata Sheppard ('04) performs with the Margi Cole Dance COLEctive in Chicago. Her research in tele-immersive environments has been presented at the Creativity and Cognition Conference in Washington, D.C. and the ACM Multimedia Conference in Augsburg, Germany. Her work has been presented at the Dumbo Dance Festival and she has had residencies at the Dance Omi International Arts Collective in New York and Links Hall in Chicago.

Ann Chaplin (’02) performs with Queen City Mambo, a salsa/mambo performance group in Charlotte, NC.  Jennifer Lent ('99) is an Assistant Professor of Theatre at Coastal Carolina University teaching dance and choreographing musicals for their theatre department. Emily Crews ('91) is the Financial Manager at Dance Place in Washington, D.C., a performer with Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble, and a choreographer whose works blend modern dance and humor. Desiree DiMauro ('85) has performed with the Adrian Bolton Dancers and the Center Dance Company in the D.C. area. For the past 15 years, she has taught jazz, ballet, and modern in several schools including Arlington Center for Dance and Joy of Motion. Also in D.C., Erin Camp ('00) is performing with Jane Franklin Dance and Emily Bonham Owens ('01) performs with Equinox Dance Company in Frederick, MD. Karla Finger-Coghill ('87) directs Sidelong Dance Company in North Carolina. Rodney Williams ('80) is a member of the dance faculty at Longwood University and is an active choreographer in the Richmond area.

Cara Smith ('04) has performed with Ground Zero in Richmond. Melinda Hagaman ('99) choreographs for Stage Lights, a children's theatre company in Williamburg and performs with Gravity Optional Dance Company.

Carrie Wilcox ('77) teaches dance and performs as a soloist with the Kathy Harty Gray Dance Theatre, a company devoted to preserving classic American modern dance. Olenna Truskett ('82) has pursued myriad dance-related endeavors including performing and choreographing for Lee Harper & Dancers in Georgia and The Fairfax Ballet in Virginia; appearing with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra,the Atlanta Opera, and Young Audiences; and producing Bach Festival 2000 in Baltimore. Most recently, she helped organize a nonprofit group for teenagers, Prelude Ballet Ensemble,and serves on the Board of Directors and as a choreographer. Staci Armao ('93) danced professionally in musicals and pursues an acting career in California. She is a long-time member of Actors Co-op, a theater company in Hollywood and continues to perform and write. She currently has a short film showing in festivals and a feature film in post-production.