I have been in the Richmond area for the last four years, and have been working hard to meet the dance community of VA. It has been a long and joyful journey to become a choreographer and professor. I now have the opportunity to spend time doing research on the topics that inspire me. More importantly, I am in a position to inspire and train young dancers and to be part of their own journeys.

I am excited to be nominated as Dancer of the Year because there are so many incredible artists in Richmond who could be included in this category and I am humbled to be considered among those chosen this year. As the dance world in Richmond continues to expand and grow, I am honored to be recognized even as a nominee for my contributions on the ballet stage.

“ I began dancing in Los Angeles at the age of 10, later setting focus in ballet with opportunities to train in schools around the country including Pacific Northwest Ballet, LINES Contemporary Ballet, Ballet Chicago, North Carolina Dance Theatre, and the Richmond Ballet. I am ecstatic to have been nominated for the Dancer of the Year RVA Dance Award, and really owe this nomination to my many mentors and supporters, Shannon Hunter McConville, Nicole Mickey Shaver, Madison Ellis Ellington, Lisa Rumbauskas, and of course to my many beautiful and talented dance students at the West End Academy of Dance who I love so dearly. My fun fact is that my favorite activities outside of ballet are tap dancing, water aerobics, hanging out with Bretta (my cat) and crying over episodes of the Great British Baking Show.”

The Binford Dance Company was established in 2016. It is an audition based student dance company from Binford Middle School, an arts integrated school located in Richmond, VA. Company members study Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Improvisation, and Composition within the Binford dance program. The company has performed throughout the community including: The 2019 Superintendent’s State of the Schools Address, Generation Dream, Richmond Public School’s Fine Arts Festival, Strawberry Street Festival, Appomattox Regional Governor’s School for the Arts and Technology, Petersburg Home for Ladies, and Cedarfield Retirement Community. The company also had the opportunity to collaborate with the School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community (SPARC) students to perform in the Jason Mraz music video “Have It All.” The Binford Dance Company inspires students to find their own voice through performance and choreography while learning valuable skills in the rehearsal process including collaboration, respect, and confidence.

“There are shortcuts to happiness and dancing is one of them”

“It all began when I was four years old and my mom took me to the ballet to see Richmond Ballets “The Nutcracker.” I was mesmerized by the movement, the colors, the characters, the lights, but most of all I was in awe of the ballerinas on pointe. I wanted to go up on my toes like that and float across stage as all the dancers did.”

You must create your own path, tell your own story, make your own mistakes, and learn your own lessons. You are an individual, with a heart, a soul, a brain, and you must fight for what you want. Allow others to help you, influence you (positively), inspire you, support you. Strive to be a well rounded dancer, it will benefit you in the long run. 

As I grew and matured, dance became so much more than that. It became a means for me to work through and process my emotions and gave me the opportunity to turn negative feelings into beautiful movement. Dance is my way of expressing emotions that I can’t put into words.

"I dance because there is nothing more powerful than creating. Dance is an expression of art that allows anyone to feel all types of emotion through the movement of the body. It is so incredibly amazing to be able take a canvas of movement and create artistry. " Daniella of STAVNA Ballet

"However, what is meant to be will be and I was meant for dancing. "

For me, this experience is where I've always wanted to be… To be a part of something bigger than myself. To contribute to this art - the amazing art of ballet - in a meaningful way. But... I wasn't sure it would ever be a possibility. 

"Dance is as much apart of me as the air that I breathe. I hope to step on stage until I’m gray and old, and that I continue to dazzle the audiences until the curtain closes."  

"My schedule is always booked, my days are always full, and that’s how I thrive--most of the time. When I’ve overcommitted myself (again!), I walk in the studio and dance. I disconnect from my to-do list, focus on foot, arm, and head placement, and create art. I walk out better than I walked in. That’s what dance does for me; it makes me better."