January is known throughout West Virginia as the creative energy and spirit behind The Academy of Arts at January's, a school with an outstanding reputation for instilling love of the arts through dance, drama, and music. She is the founder of the Charleston Stage Company's Summer Arts Program, where she served as Artistic Director from 1992 until 1999. The Charleston Stage Company Summer Arts Program was a recipient of the Governor's Arts and Education award for exemplary arts organizations in West Virginia during her term as Artistic Director.

January has choreographed and directed for local organizations such as Children's Theater of Charleston, Kanawha Players, Charleston Stage Company, Motion Masters, Fox 11, and Big Pictures.

Students from the Academy are currently performing on Broadway and performing and studying in Chicago, Pittsburgh, Boston, New York, and Philadelphia.  

Rachel is currently a student at Marshall University. She will be graduating in 2003 with a degree in Exercise Physiology. She has studied dance her entire life and began teaching full time at the Academy in 1998. She is also on staff in Huntington at Village Dance Theater and Premier Dance Studio. Rachel also serves on the faculty for the Charleston Stage Company's Summer Arts Camp and the University of Charleston's Camp William.

Rachel has studied with such masters as Joe Lanteri and Gus Giordano. She has participated in the 2000 Jazz Dance World Congress and 2002 teacher's seminar "Tap Kids" in Tarrytown, N.Y.

Rachel loves working with children and is thrilled to be on staff once again at January's working with you people in jazz, tap, and ballet.  

Stacy has been dancing since she was three years old. She has been with January's since it opened in 1986. While in high school, Stacy was a member of the Cpital High School Dance Company and captain of their Jazz Troupe. Stacy first performed in community theater as a munchkin in "The Wizard of Oz", and in 2000 appeared as a cabaret dancer in the Charleston Stage Company's production of "Cabaret".

Stacy has studied all forms of dance, from the Giordano Jazz Technique to the classical styles of Joe Tremaine. Although Stacy enjoys jazz, she is best know for her quick feet in tap. She spent the summers of 2001 and 2002 studying with tap masters such as Ted Levy, Brenda Buffalino, and Lisa Hopkins in the teacher's seminar of "Tap Kids", Tarrytown N.Y.

Stacy has taught jazz and tap classes for the Academy since 1998 and currently serves as the Choreographer and Director of the JADCO Junior Competition Company.  

Jamie Adams-Anderson started her dance training at the age of 4 years old. Her aspiration was to become a dance teacher; therefore, she enrolled in a student intern program at the age of 15 and started instructing her own students two years later. She received her Ballet, Tap, and Jazz Teaching Certification in 1992 through Dance Masters of America. Since then she has been an active member of the Michigan Chapter of Dance Masters, serving as Teen Scholarship Pageant Director and Co-Director, Co-Director to the Nomination Committee, and Co-Director to the Junior Membership Committee. Jamie has been the owner of her own studio located in Michigan since 1997. Her students have been received many awards and have been recipients of scholarships to the Edge Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles, CA, Dupree Tap & Jazz Dance Expo in Chicago, IL, L. A. Danceforce Dance Conventions, Urban Jamm Dance Conventions, and Co Dance Convention Workshops. Her students qualified to work with choreographers Rhonda Miller, Greg Russell, and Mandy Moore and perform their choreography in a National Performance in Las Vegas, NV in July 2000. Jamieís students have had the privilege to perform in The Nutcracker at the Fox Theater in Detroit and Cinderella at Eastern Michigan University. Many of her students are furthering their dance education at University of Michigan, Western Michigan University, and Oakland University. Jamie has choreographed for the Livonia Symphony Orchestra and was awarded a choreography award by L. A. Danceforce for the pointe piece entitled ìChaplin - a tribute to Charlie Chaplin.  

Dorothea has studied dance at the University of Kansas, and Oregon. She attended Lane Community College's dance program in Eugene, Oregon on scholarship where she was a teaching assistant for ballet. She has attended all major dance conventions, teachers seminars with Dance Educators, David Howard, Robert Christopher, Vaganova, Florida Dance Festival, Gus Giodano, Jazz Workshop & World Jazz Congress and Lea Darwin's Jazz Intensive for teachers. Dorothea has taken classes with the Kansas City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Eugene Ballet and spent summer vacations in New York City taking classes at ABT, Luigis, Phil Black's, Don Fornsworth's, Ronnie DeMarco's, David Howard's to name a few. In Charleston, she has studied with Helen Cox Schrader, Andre Van Damme and Nina Denton, where she also taught. She has appeared in many Charleston Light Opera Guild productions and is currently assistant director for the River City Youth Ballet Ensemble and treasurer for Dance West Virginia.  

Maggie Lin Ryder is a 25 year old native from Philadelphia, PA. She graduated from The University of the Arts in 2004 with a BFA in Dance Education. She is currently touring with The West Virginia Dance Company and has been since the spring of 2005. She has also worked locally with Theater West Virginia's summer productions from 2004 to 2006, and Treehouse Arts Ensemble productions. Her professional work in Philadelphia ranges from Brian Sanders JUNK, Inc., Crylumnia Productions, Tony Ward Photography, Bill Stank - an illustrator, and the Philadelphia and New York Fringe Festivals.

Maggie has taught at CAPA, the Philadelphia Creative and Performing Arts High School, Settlement Music School Kaleidoscope Program (Director of Dance & Creative Movement), Theater West Virginia's Dance Movement for Actors, and Treehouse Arts Ensemble Summer Theater Camp at Tamarack.  

Angela, a native of Texas, began dancing at the age of three. Since then she has trained with the Fredric Regional Ballet, The Wimberley Dance Studio, Ballet Austin, and the Austin Contemporary Ballet, and received her Bachelors of Fine Arts from Texas State University. In addition to her formal training, Angela has over ten years of teaching experience, having taught ballet, tap, lyrical, jazz and hip hop at The Wimberley Dance Studio and Jackie's School of Performing Arts, in Austin Texas. Angela has recently moved to Charleston with her husband, and is looking forward to a new dance season.  

Meghann Slaven is a 2005 graduate of Ohio University with degrees in Performance & Choreography and Magazine Journalism. Ohio University's Visiting Artist Program allowed her to study with artists such as Doug Elkins, Sean Curran, Tere O'Connor, Gina Gibney, Earl Mosley and Donald McKayle. She has been trained in choreography, modern, jazz, ballet, lyrical, African, contact improvisation and tap dance. Last year Meghann taught jazz and modern dance to advanced level students at Pam Bailey's School of Dance in Ripley, W.Va. In 2004, she completed a summer internship at American Dance Festival in Durham, N.C. and took classes from Lisa Race, David Dorfman and Gerri Houlihan. During her sophomore year at Ohio University, Meghann was selected along with two fellow classmates to showcase their trio "Footsteps" at the American College Dance Festival in Buffalo, N.Y. She has also taught advanced jazz to undergraduate students at Ohio University, summer choreography workshops to dancers aged 4-13 and creative movement classes to elementary students in Ohio's Athens City School District. She is currently employed by the Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences and is eagerly awaiting the start of teaching hip-hop to students at Academy of Arts at January's this fall.  

Morgan, a sixteen year-old home educated student, began studying ballet with Velma Schrader at the age of eight. At the age of 12 Morgan won a partial scholarship to Point Park College International Summer Dance and attended the program for three consecutive summers taking classes in ballet, Pointe, jazz, tap, modern, character, Pilates and yoga. She has also attended West Virginia Fine Arts Dance Camp sponsored by SYBC for the past 6 years and was selected as the recipient of the Pansy Bunch Scholarship (in honor of Mrs. Schrader's mother) in 2002. Morgan also attended Broadway Theater Project in 2006. She was the 2002 recipient of a full scholarship to Minifest held annually at JacksonÕs Mill and the 2003 winner of the West Virginia Dance Festival Jazz Scholarship. She completed the teacher training program in August 2003 with HoctorÕs Dance Caravan in New York City and has taken classes at Broadway Dance Center in jazz, hip-hop, and theatre dance. Morgan was selected by Ronnie DeMarco to be part of the first state-wide jazz company and was recently chosen to attend GovernorÕs School for the Arts 2004. She continued her dance training at Schrader Youth Ballet School and as well as teaching beginner jazz and hip-hop.  

   
Heather Taylor

Heather is a dancer, teacher, choreographer, and massage therapist from Ohio. In 1996 she received her B.A. in Dance from Point Park College. While earning her degree, Heather performed in numerous Pittsburgh Playhouse productions. She earned the outstanding student award, and her choreography was selected to represent the school at Theater West Virginia. Upon graduation, she joined the West Virginia Dance Company, under the direction of Toneta Akers-Toler. In 2001 she also joined the Kitchen Sink Dance Company (KSDC). Last year she danced and taught in New York City with both the KSDC and Nadia Tarr of the Kevin Wynn Collective. Her most recent performance was the memorial concert for Liz Pape at the Brooklyn Lyceum.  

   
Nick Harris

A well-known teacher and choreographer, Nick is on the faculty at the Academy of Arts at January's and Dance Theater, Beckley. He will be returning to Charleston in spring 2003, after performing with the Walt Disney Company in Tokyo, Japan and extensive dance study in Las Vegas. Nick has performed in many local productions with the Charleston Stage Company and the Charleston Light Opera Guild. In 2001 he was the special guest for the Loree Russeau's Dance Theater Company in Detroit, Michigan. He was a dancer in the pro Bowl Halftime show in 1996. He was also one of the Joctors Dance Caravan Kids in 1994.  

   
Aimee Kennedy

Aimee has been teaching ballet, jazz, and tap at the Academy since 1995. Before moving to Charleston, she taught dance for four years at Mary's School of Dance in Panama City, Florida. Aimee has had the opportunity to study under many of the nation's leading dance figures, and has performed with the northwest Florida Ballet and the Panama City Jazz Company. She has choreographed for the Charleston Stage Company, the Kanawha Players, and West Virginia Technology Institute. She is also on staff at the Charleston Stage Company's summer arts camp and the University of Charleston's summer arts camp.

Aimee is currently working with advanced placement dancers as well as a full load of children's creative dance classes. One of Aimee's greatest assets as a teacher is her enthusiasm and creativity. Her children's creative dance classes are among the most successful classes offered by the studio.  

   
Karen Higgins

Karen Higgins graduated from West Virginia University with a B.A. in both Dance and Psychology and a Masters in Rehabilitation Counseling and Psychology. She was an honorary scholarship recipient of the performing arts at WVU. She taught undergraduate modern dance and directed the WVU Children's Dance program. She is a licensed professional counselor and she developed dance therapy and wellness programs for Easter Seals and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. She was a therapist at Thomas Memorial Hospital. Karen was president and a member of Orchesis Modern Dance Company for eight years. She studied with Renee Wadliegh of Paul Taylor Dance Company, Jan Eckert of Jan Eckert dancers of Chicago, and Valerie Bergman of Nina Wiener Dance Company. She also performed and studied with Prairie Dance Company in Oklahoma City. She received choreography honors from the American College Dance festival for original works and has received the outstanding choreography award from L.A. Danceforce. She has performed locally with the Charleston Light Opera Guild in "A Chorus Line" and "Follies" as well as choreographing musicals for the Charleston Stage Company.