We are the Roots Cast and Choreographer of Brother General Gabriel (BGG). We are Ms. Julinda, Mena, Christine, Karlito, Monte, and MK. We come from diverse movement vocabularies and a strong collective of Richmond-based dance communities. We began dancing together in the late summer of 2019, and from the creative bonds built, plan to continue building together in future versions of BGG and beyond.

For over five years and counting, the members of Salsa Connection Dance Company, LLC (“Salsa Connection”) continue to provide quality instruction and performances to the Richmond community. Initially teaching and performing as a continuation of Latin Vintage Dance Company under the guidance of Julissa Cruz, co-owners Carey Mitchell, Candice Deisher, Crystal Bullock and Rudy St. Julien first offered instruction out of the Ezibu Muntu dance studio before permanently locating their classes to Dogtown Dance Theatre (“Dogtown”)!

Opened in 2018, Fred Astaire Dance Studio Richmond offers lessons in ballroom, latin, and social dancing to dancers of all ages and abilities. The common goal that all of our students share is to have fun every time they come in, while developing the confidence to dance with any partner, on any dance floor, to any music. Committed to enriching lives physically, emotionally and socially through the positive, transforming power of dance, internationally acclaimed instructors create a “FADS Community” that is welcoming, 100% non-judgmental, and truly joyful. Internationally acclaimed instructors are certified in the Fred Astaire Curriculum, which presents the building blocks of partner dance in the way that people naturally learn. The instructors’ compassion, energy, and kindness combined with the studied and documented fact that dancing is the perfect combination of physical activity, social interaction and mental stimulation, makes Fred Astaire Dance Studio a perfect place to learn and hone a new skill.

It is such an honor to be included as a nominee again for the RVA Dance Awards. Being recognized in your hometown among your colleagues and peers whom you admire and respect is quite amazing.

Dance has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I developed a deep passion for dance and the arts at an early age attending my first dance lesson at the age of 5. Since then, I have never looked back; dedicating the last 20 years to dance education and exploring choreography. Today, I am starting my 11th season as the Artistic Director of J’Adore DANCE and share in running the school alongside of my mother Alice and the most amazing team of faculty.

Hi everyone! I'm Madison Marshall and I am so excited and honored to have been chosen as one of the Youth Dancer of the Year Nominees. It is so amazing to be part of this awards program with such a talented group of dancers. As this year has seen so many challenges, changes, shutdowns and us having to change the way we learn to dance, I am so thankful to be able to continue to dance. I currently train in jazz, jazz funk, contemporary, ballet, pointe, acro, tap, hip hop and ballroom dance.

I am so excited and honored to be nominated again this year for an RVA Dance Award for “Best Choreography”, “Dance Instructor of the Year”, and “Best Collaboration” with my girl Neo. Last year was a tough year for me professionally, but my dance kids helped me get through it. They constantly inspire me to push myself beyond what I thought I was capable of. They have always trusted me and I am so grateful for my students both past and current. If there is one thing I have learned it is that kindness goes a long way and kids will always remember how you made them feel. I am just grateful that God has blessed me with countless opportunities to do what I love and share it with so many beautiful souls.

Loving to push boundaries and never giving up, no matter what has been thrown at me, has always been a huge part of my dance journey. It began like most other dancers, at a young age through college, then on to a 10 year professional career in my 20's. After moving back to Richmond from New York City, I found my calling as an educator and always wanting to deliver the very best for students. What I ultimately found, my students inspired me every day, and many days left me a little teary eyed because of the joy they brought to my life. Being an educator has always been a space where I felt most alive and striving to teach my amazing students beyond expectation, so they could reach their goals and realize their dreams. I have always remained grounded in my dance roots, (fun fact: I adore a good ballet barre), but since I was young, I had a vision of a space where the arts could come together in a beautifully inclusive, kind and joyful place. A space beyond the traditional dance studio..... This place is SOUL Aerial & Performing Arts Center... a vision made into a reality.

My Name is Cierra Wilson. I've been living and dancing Richmond for 5 years now. My RVA Dance journey started with working at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School as their dance teacher. This began my love for reaching the black community through dance. It was for my community that I started Beyond Borders Performing Arts.

I started dancing at West End Academy of Dance when I was 4 years old. After a few years of exploring various styles, I quickly realized hip hop was my true passion. Thanks to the wonderful teaching staff and welcoming environment, WEAD became my second home. Dance continued to by a critical part of my world as I transitioned from high school to college. After four years at the University of Virginia, participating on a hip hop dance team throughout, it was time to enter “the real world.” I worked in a corporate job for five years and realized something major was missing from my life. As luck would have it, WEAD was looking for a hip hop teacher, so I jumped on the opportunity. After the first night of teaching, my passion had been reignited. I loved being back in the studio, connecting with the students at WEAD, and sharing my passion for dance with them. As the now Owner and Studio Director of West End Academy of Dance, my ultimate goal is to ensure our students have the same wonderful experience I had growing up as a WEAD dancer.

I’ve shared my dance journey before, but since then it has drastically changed. I shifted from working as a teaching artist and performer to being a full time artist (an anti-racist, anti-institutional artist at that…) . I’ve been discovering what that is for me: applying for residencies, researching artist grants, mfa programs, developing a daily ritual and movement practice, connecting with other artists in the field across the nation.. Anyway.. it has come with challenges.. but it is so fulfilling to mesh my artistry with organizing and activism.

Being nominated for Choreographer of the Year is an incredible honor, that frankly still seems a bit surreal. I am truly grateful and my soul feels so full knowing that my work has impacted the world around me.

Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, I trained extensively in all genres at Chesterfield Dance Center and attended Appomattox Regional Governor’s School for dance. I then began teaching tap at CDC when I was 17 years old. After high school, I continued to teach at the studio, and moved to New York every summer to train with world renowned hoofers and immerse myself in the tap community.

When you grow up dancing, it’s hard to just give it up. But for most of us – dance classes just stop when you become an adult. Few of us go on to do anything professional with it and that means all those dance lessons at Miss Susie Sunshine’s Dance School, just get dusty and the next thing you know – you’re on some treadmill in some big box gym, hoping to lose weight and blasting Madonna thinking you could make your own OK Go video if no one looks.

That was kinda what got me to open my own fitness studio.

Ingrid Pettus Lorenzo has been teaching, educating, dancing, and choreographing for over 40 years. Originally from New York and raised in Philadelphia, there has never been a moment or year she hasn’t learned something new, inspired herself or others. Growing up, she began singing at the age of 7. From 3rd grade, she auditioned and performed with the All City Choir through high school. When she first saw Singing in the Rain at the age of 11, she began to emulate the singing and dancing she saw on TV. By the age of 14, Ingrid would start her career and love of the theatre arts in high school. With no prior dance training due to her family’s inability to afford dance classes, she would go on to audition for Philadelphia’s first public MAGNET high school called The Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts. With the help of a fellow auditionee loaning her a pair of ballet shoes and quickly showing her the 5 basic positions of ballet in the arms and feet, with determination and a passion to pursue her dream in the arts world, she was accepted.

When I was younger, I wanted to be a Solid Gold dancer (I'm telling my age lol). While that dream didn't come true, my love of dance remained. About 10 years ago I discovered urban line dancing and was instantly hooked. I began attending weekly events and every class that I could. One of my classmates (and dear friend) encouraged me to begin teaching my own class. I started with 1 class in 2013 and currently teach 4 classes per week...thanks to modern technology.

Hello RVA community, my name is Hadley Barrett. I started my dance journey when I was eight years old with my very first class, hip hop. I instantly fell in love. I entered the dance competition world a couple of years later and have never looked back. Rehearsing a dance and performing it on stage brings me so much joy and satisfaction. I spend almost all of my time at my studio, Chesterfield Dance Center, learning and growing as a person and dancer. I train in the dance styles of ballet, modern, contemporary, jazz, tap, hip hop, and musical theater. I am also lucky enough to be part of the Delirium dance competition team where we push ourselves to be the best dancers we can be. In addition to classes, I am also a student assistant. Student assistants help the teachers plan out classes and teach the children the art form. I just love seeing the children embrace dance and build their confidence over time. After high school, I plan on furthering my dance career by attending college and double majoring in dance and psychology.

Hi! I’m Avery Caddell and I am 11 years old. Dance has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My mom, Lauren Czajkowski-Gareau is a dancer and when I was not even a year old, she and my grandmother opened J’adore DANCE. Whether it was watching my moms classes and rehearsals, being the “DJ” and running music, being in class myself or attending a performance (My first professional performance was to see a Starr Foster show when I was 3 years old) I have always been dancing or around dance. Growing up in the studio makes my life very unique and crazy sometimes but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I have met so many awesome people and had the opportunity to build great relationships and friendships with dancers and choreographers from all over being “a studio kid”.

Hello! My name is Madison Kang, I am 16 years old, and I am a competition dancer at Prestige Dance Studio. I began dancing at the age of 6 at Jessica Morgan’s School of Dance, and have continued to dance there throughout its transition to Prestige Dance Studio. For the past seven years, I have been a member of Prestige Dance Company as well as the Prestige Dance Studio Royal Court competition team, an elite group of dancers hand selected for exceptional technique and artistry. I train in various styles including ballet/pointe, jazz, tap, lyrical/contemporary, and hip hop for approximately 8-10 hours a week from my teachers: Christy Burke, Stefanie Ogunwumiju, J.T. Beverly, Ashley Wyatt, Cara Cubbage, and Tristi McMaster Robinson. In addition, I am an assistant teacher for younger classes at the studio. I am also a junior at Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School for Government and International Studies, where I am an active member of the School Advisory Council and various honor societies and clubs.

My name is King VersaStylez and I have been battling for a little over 15 years

My dance journey began my 5th grade year or elementary school, at the time period my mom was stationed on Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan and we had just moved there. I Remember getting off the airplane and going straight to soccer practice, where she decided for me that I would be going to my first "dance party". At this point I had no idea I could dance well, I just knew I enjoyed it. Later at the Youth Center a song comes on that I recognize back home and I zoned out, coming back to reality I realized the entire room was staring at me and that’s when I realized Dancing was something I could grow to enjoy. I had a youth mentor that was apart of a local crew and him and the other members of the team were the people who taught me the art of freestyle dancing.

The Prestige Dance Company was established in 2014 in an effort to offer Prestige Dance Studio students - interested in advancing their technique and dance exposure - the opportunity to compete, to meet and take class from some of the industry’s top teachers and choreographers, and to join a group of dancers who are equally invested in and dedicated to their dance training.

Prestige Dance Company (PDC) dancers attend between 4-5 competitions each season, frequenting the stages at DanceMakers (DMI), StarQuest, Velocity, Hollywood Vibe, and NUVO among others. Prestige Artistic Director, Stefanie Ogunwumiju, makes a conscious effort to send PDC dancers to a variety of competitions - many of them offering workshops - understanding the importance of exposure to a variety of teachers and dance techniques to a dancer’s overall growth.