Donald Laney - Co-Artistic Director/Dancer

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 program 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.  Email Donald Laney

Sara Belcher - Dancer

Sara Belcher is originally from Matheny, WV, and has studied dance under Toneta Akers-Toler for almost 20 years. Sarah attended WV Governor's School for the Arts, for dance. She has spent 10 summer seasons with Theatre West Virginia and is in her 4th 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.

Lorenzo Buchanan - Dancer

Lorenzo Buchanan is originally from Tucson, AZ. He began dancing with Chelonia Dance Company at Beloit College in Wisconsin in 2003. While there, he worked with several choreographers, including Margi Cole, Chris Johnson, Aiko Kinoshita, Gabe Masson, Kirby Reed and Margaret Rennerfeldt. Lorenzo also danced with Kanopy Dance Company in Madison in 2006 and 2007. After graduating from Beloit in 2007 with degrees in dance and literary studies, Lorenzo decided to sow some wild oats and join the Peace Corps. From July 2007 to August 2009, he taught English and dance, and worked with youth leaders in the small Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan. He took this opportunity to introduce new styles of choreography to his Kyrgyz students, who had not previously been exposed to such styles as hip-hop, jazz and African. This cultural exchange was extremely influential on him. Lorenzo is very happy to be back and to be dancing. This is his first season with West Virginia Dance Company.

Angela Dennis - Dancer

Angela began her training under Diane Lewis at the Hochstein School of Music in Rochester, NY. She was a member of West Virginia University's African Dance Ensemble, a scholarship recipient, principal dancer, teaching assistant and choreographer within WVU's Division of Theatre and Dance. Ms. Dennis has studied with artists such as Cecil Slaughter, formerly of Dayton Contemporary Dance Company; Michael McGowan, formerly of Hubbard Street Dance Company; Sharon Butcher of Shenandoah University; Alan Sener, Artistic Director of The Louis Falco Repertory; Bob Durkin, former dancer under Bob Fosse, and Diane Lewis, formerly of American Classical Ballet and Festival Ballet of New York. Angela has been a featured dancer in several residency works such as, ‘Volanti Assi' choreographed by Sharon Butcher as well as, ‘Portrait' and ‘Appalachian Waltz' by Alan Sener. Ms. Dennis' own choreography has been selected for performance at the 2006 AAPHERD National Gala in Baltimore, MD and most recently for the 2009 Create West Virginia Arts Conference held in Snowshoe, WV. Angela has been commissioned to choreograph and perform works for University High School, Morgantown Children's Theatre, Sally Ann's Dance Company, WVU's Concert Choir and Fairmont State College. A former member of the Kitchen Sink Dance Company under the direction of Michael McGowan, Angela co-founded and has served as Artistic Director of Alchemy Dance Project in Morgantown, WV since its inception in 2003. In January 2009, Ms. Dennis founded Red Stone Dance Initiative, a youth modern dance organization also based in Morgantown, WV and serves as Artistic Director.

Cyan Maroney - Dancer

Cyan Maroney is a native of Renick, West Virginia, and a graduate of Connecticut College where she received a BA in Dance. Cyan was a member of Trillium Performing Youth in Lewisburg, WV; participated in the 2002 West Virginia Governor's School for the Arts; attended The American Dance Festival in Durham, NC; And performed with Theatre West Virginia for three summer seasons. During her time at Connecticut College, Cyan studied under David Dorfman, Heidi Henderson, Lan-Lan Wang, Lisa Race, Robyne Watkin, Adele Myers, and Richard Schenk among many others. She was a participant in both the 2007 and 2008 New England ACDFA competitions and has performed works by choreographers Doug Elkins, David Dorfman, Isadora Duncan, and Paul Taylor.

Rachel Oliver - Dancer

Rachel Oliver, originally from Missoula, MT, has danced extensively in venues in San Francisco, Chicago, Montana, West Virginia, local ACDFA performances, and at Beloit College in Wisconsin. After completing a double major in biochemistry and dance at Beloit College, she moved to San Francisco to pursue dance. While there, Rachel performed with companies Double Vision and Dance Theatre/Shannon, as well as teaching and performing for Presidio Dance Theatre and DanceOUT of PPAF. While in San Francisco, she completed her Pilates mat certification through ITT Pilates and worked as a physical therapist aide at Presidio Sports & Medicine. Currently in Lewisburg, she teaches Pilates and is involved with Trillium Performing Arts Collective, choreographing and dancing in local performances as well as co-directing Trillium Performing Youth, a high-school aged dance company, and teaching modern and ballet to children and adults. This is her first year dancing with West Virginia Dance Company.

Board of Directors

Robert C. Dunkerley - President Elkins, WV  Jack Deskins - Vice President Beckley, WV Thomas A. McNeish, Jr.- Treasurer Beckley, WV Heidi J. Bickey Beckley, WV Heather Deskins Beckley, WV  Kathryn A. Freeland Glendale, WV Sawsan Galal Beckley, WV Mary Hanley Moundsville, WV Karen Kanakanui Beckley, WV Cynthia P. Kolsun Charleston, WV Martha B. McKee Charleston, WV Nora B. Morris Elkins, WV Regina Newsome Beckley, WV Audrey J. Stanton-Smith Beckley, WV Delegate Linda S. Sumner Beckley, WV Patti Todd Beckley, WV Franklin D. Tuck, III Beckley, WV Email the Board of Directors

Robert S. Moore III - Administrative Coordinator
	Email Robert Moore III

Carli Mareneck - Choreographer

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.

Stephanie Nerbak-McLaughlin - Choreographer

A dancer, teacher, choreographer and Licensed Massage Therapist, Stephanie received a Bachelors of Arts in Dance from Point Park University in 1997 and a National Certification in Massage and Bodywork in 2004. While attending Point Park Stephanie's choreography was chosen for the American Collegiate Dance Festival's Gala performance at the University of Southern Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. She attended the American Dance Festival in the summer of 1997 where she had the opportunity to study with such names as Gerri Houlihan, Doug Nielsen, Molissa Fenley, Daniel Lepkoff and David Dorfman. Stephanie joined the West Virginia Dance Company in 1997 and toured with them until her relocation to Los Angeles in 2001. In Los Angeles she had the pleasure of joining Donna Sternberg and Dancers (Santa Monica, CA), Naomi Goldberg's Los Angeles Modern Dance and Ballet (Los Angeles, CA), and most notable Collage Dance Theatre, a site-specific dance company (Los Angeles, CA). In 2005 Stephanie came back to West Virginia to rejoin the West Virginia Dance Company under the new shared artistic direction of Toneta Akers-Toler and Donald Laney. Since her return to West Virginia Stephanie has also worked extensively with Carli Mareneck of Trillium Performing Arts Collective (Lewisburg, WV) and has showcased her own choreography with Trillium Performing Arts and their Performing Youth. She has taught master classes at James Madison University, Marshall University, The West Virginia Contemporary Dance Festival, West Virginia Dance Company and Trillium Performing Youth. Stephanie is currently the Director of Dance with Treehouse Arts Ensemble (Beckley, WV), which is a multi-disciplinary arts company.

Heather Taylor-Martin - Choreographer

While earning her BA from Point Park University, Heather performed in many Pittsburgh Playhouse productions, as well as KCACDFA. Upon graduation, she joined the West Virginia Dance Company, which gave her the opportunity to perform statewide. She performed the role of Laura in a dance interpretation of The Glass Menagerie at the Greenbrier Valley Theatre. She worked with Theatre West Virginia as a dancer and ensemble actor for many summer seasons. Heather has also worked with Kitchen Sink Dance Company and Nadia Tarr at the Brooklyn Lyceum. She performed with Tarr's company in Weightfall: An Elizabeth Pape Memorial Concert. Currently, Heather is an independent dancer, teacher, and choreographer, working regionally and in her home of Pittsburgh, PA.

Daniel Nagrin - Guest Choreographer

Mr. Nagrin, one of the country's most distinguished an critically acclaimed solo dancers and choreographers , began his career in 1940 after earning a Bachelors of Science Health Education from the City College of New York.  Mr Nagrin's dance study was done mostly in the Graham technique, including a one-year scholarship with Martha Graham and one season with a variety of other modern dance teachers, including Helen Tamiris and Hanya Holm. Nagrin's career spans over four decades, ranging from Broadway, to film, to being a solo concert artist, lecturer, and an artist-in-residence on the university touring circuit.

Gerri Houlihan - Guest Choreographer

Gerri Houlihan began her professional career at the Juilliard School, studying with Antony Tudor, Alfredo Corvino, and members of the Martha Graham and Jose Limon dance companies. She performed with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet and the Paul Sanasardo Dance Company and spent five years as a soloist with the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company touring extensively throughout the United States and Europe. Ms. Houlihan has taught or choreographed for such institutions as N. Y.'s High School of the Performing Arts, the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee, the Bates Dance Festival, the Boston Ballet, the Harvard Summer Dance Center, Meredith College, the University of South Florida, North Carolina School of the Arts, the University of Richmond, the University of North Carolina- Greensboro and Virginia Commonwealth University. From 1984-1987 she directed her own school and company, the Boston Dance Project. She was one of five finalists in the Boston Ballet's International Choreography Competition. From 1988-1999, Ms. Houlihan was on the faculty of New World School of the Arts in Miami, Florida. During that time, she was also the artistic director of Houlihan and Dancers. The recipient of two Florida Individual Artist Fellowships in Dance/Choreography in 1991-92 and 1996-97, Houlihan and Dancers was on the touring roster for the state of Florida. Ms. Houlihan has been on the faculty of the American Dance Festival from 1981-1983, and from 1987 to the present. As an international representative for ADF she has participated in fifteen international linkages, teaching in Korea, China, Brazil, Paraguay, Chile, Estonia, Poland, the Philippines, Moscow and Mongolia. She will teach in February of 2008 in Shanghai. She is the 2005 recipient of the Balasaraswati, Joy Ann Dewey Beinecke Endowed Chair for Distinguished Teaching, and received her MFA degree in 2007 from the Hollins University/American Dance Festival MFA program. She is currently an associate professor at Florida State University.

Dr. Eluza Maria Santos - Guest Choreographer
	Eluza Maria Santos has been on the dance faculty at UNC Greensboro since 1996.  She holds a degree in physical education from Universidade Federal de Espirito Santo in her native Brazil, BFA and MFA degrees in dance from Arizona State University.  Her research focuses on the cultural origins of contemporary Brazilian concert dance.