Donald Laney - Rehearsal/Director   Donald graduated from the University of California, Irvine with his MFA in dance in 2004.  He is currently the Rehearsal/Co-Director of the West Virginia Dance Company.  Before entering the graduate progam at UCI, Donald performed with the West Virginia Dance Company, Houlihan & Dancers (Miami, FL), Randy James Dance Worx (NYC), X-Factor (NC), and many guest appearances throughout the Mid-Atlantic states.  While attending UCI, he had the opportunity to perform for Donald McKayle, Loretta Livingston, Lisa Naugle, and Christine Chrest, as well as presenting his own choreography which was chosen to represent UCI at ACDFA in 2003 and 2004.  Donald's work with Lisa Naugle and John Crawford has produced three dance videos that have been presented at the Lincoln Center and in dance video conferences in Yugoslavia, Japan, New Jersey, Michigan, Arizona, and at the American Dance Festival in Durham, NC.  Donald has taught at James Madison University, UCI, Lees-McRae College, ACDFA-Southwest region, and at many regionally events.  In the summer of 2005, he was the modern dance instructor at the WV Governor's School of the Arts.

	Sarah Morgan - Dancer   A native of Bridgeport, WV, Sarah is excited to be a part of the West Virginia Dance Company.  She began training in Clarksburg, WV and began appearing with Allegro, an Italian Folk Dance Company.  Sarah attended the 1998 WV Governor's School for the Arts and the 2000 International Summer Dance Program at Point Park University.  Sarah was a principal dancer with the Kitchen Sink Dance Company (1998-2003) under the direction of Michael McGowan and performed in New York City.  She just completed her 2nd summer season with Theatre West Virginia.

	Stephanie Nerbak-McLaughlin - Dancer   Stephanie is a native of New Jersey, and began her dance training there as a competitive gymnast.  She later decided to focus her energy on dance by attending the Garden State Ballet School, and then Point Park University in Pittsburgh.  In college her choreography was selected to perform at the Gala performance at the Mid-Atlantic American College Dance Festival.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Dance Performance, and now also a National Certification in Massage Therapy.  In 1997 she began touring with the West Virginia Dance Company until 2001.  It was then that Stephanie relocated to Los Angeles, where she had the opportunity to perform with several dance and performance art companies.  These include Dream Theatre, Collage Dance Theatre (a site-specific dance co.), Donna Sternberg and Dancers, and finally Los Angeles Modern Dance and Ballet.  Within her experience she has performed throughout Southern California, Baja California/Mexico, West Virginia, New Jersey, and several east coast states.  In addition to performance, Stephanie has taught dance and its varied forms to many age groups and experience levels.  She has returned to West Virginia for the West Virginia Dance Company and looks forward to her chance to contribute to its cause.

	Margaret Lin Ryder - Dancer   Magaret Lin Ryder is a native of Philadelphia, PA.  Graduating from The University of the Arts in 2004 with a BFA in Dance Education, she has many desires to pursue her performance and teaching career.  Her performance resume has a wide variety of experience ranging from Faculty ensembles from The University of the Arts, Brian Sanders JUNK  (a modern dance, site-specific company in Philadelphia), performing solos and spoken word in the Phildelphia and New York Fringe Festivals, working with Free Lance Multi Media Performance Art Company Crylumia, and most recently 2 summer seasons with Theatre West Virginia.

	Sara Workman - Dancer   Sara Workman is originally from Matheny, WV, and has studied dance under Toneta Akers-Toler for almost 20 years.  She has spent 10 summer seasons with Theatre West Virginia and is in her 3rd season with the West Virginia Dance Company.  Sara has taught dance at the River City Youth Ballet, Pineville Dance Theatre, and at the WV Mini Dance Festival.  She is currently a gymnastics instructor in Oceana, WV, where she resides with her daughter Emilee.

	James Anderson - Dancer   James E. Anderson is an award winning dancer from Southern Maryland.  While studying modern dance at George Mason University, he became the first recipient of the Friends of Dance Award and performed at the American College Dance Festival.  He began his studies in ballet after receiving a scholarship to St. Mary's Ballet School, where he was resident choreographer and principal dancer.  His choreography has been shown in DC, MD, and VA, on pre-professional and professional companies as well as solo projects.

	Heidi Bickey - Dancer   Heidi is a graduate of Point Park University where she was introduced to Toneta Akers-Toler.  She worked with Toneta at Theatre West Virginia and with the West Virginia Dance Company for many years.  She was Company Manager of Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and danced with Cross Currents Dance Company, both located in Washington, DC.  She resides in Beckley with her husband Matt and their two boys, Danny and Baxter.

	Carli Mareneck - Guest Choreographer and Dancer   After completing her BFA in Dance from the University of Utah in 1976, Carli moved with her husband to rural West Virginia.  She is co-founder of Trillium Performing Arts Collective and the Dance Studio in Lewisburg, WV.  Carli's work has been shown regionally in WV and Virginia.  She has choreographed over 25 works including two full length original dance dramas.  Since 1999 she has relished the opportunity to perform works by Monica Bill Barnes at Dancespace (NYC), Context Theatre (NYC), Hollins College, James Madison University, and Goose Route Dance Festival (WV), as well as other venues.

	Heather Taylor-Martin - Guest Choreographer and Dancer   While earning her BA from Point Park University, she performed in many Pittsburgh Playhouse productions as well as an appearance at KCACDFA.  She also started working with Theatre West Virginia as a dancer and ensemble actor in their summer seasons.  Upon graduation she joined the West Virginia Dance Company under the direction of Toneta Akers-Toler which gave her the opportunity to perform state-wide.  She performed the role of Laura in a dance interpretation of The Glass Menagerie funded by the NEA Challenge grant and played at the Greenbrier Valley Theatre.  While perfoming at the West Virginia Dance Festival she was introduced to the Kitchen Sink Dance Company which she joined the following year.  The company relocated to New York City.  While performing with Kitchen Sink she began working with Nadia Tarr at the Brooklyn Lyceum and performed with her company in Weightfall: An Elizabeth Pape Memorial Concert.  Currently she is dancing independently, working on projects as a dancer, teacher, and choreographer in and around Beckley, West Virginia.