Marianne grew up in Richmond, and began her training with Julia Mildred Harper and the Concert Ballet. Her first performance was at age 9, when she instantly fell in love with the art of dance. She began to train with the Richmond Ballet at age 12, and performed in their Nutcracker as Clara for two seasons, becoming the model for the now retired Nutcracker poster. At age 15 she left home to study as a fulltime resident student at the prestigious National Ballet School in Toronto, Canada, studying with world renowned teachers and choreographers. During her time at NBS she served as class vice president, and was awarded the Humanitarian Award for her thoughtful contributions to the school community. Through her teen years, she spent summers studying with the Boston Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet on full merit scholarships. After graduating NBS, she returned home to dance professionally with the Richmond Ballet as a trainee, apprentice, and reaching the rank of company principal dancer. She performed leading roles in Romeo and Juliet, Giselle, and Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. While in the company, Marianne was eager to accept many opportunities to guest teach and choreograph throughout the region and was later inspired to pursue her passion for dance education. Early in her teaching career, she taught at Fredericksburg Ballet Center, serving as the Ballet Mistress, and the University of Mary Washington, mentoring the Performing Arts Club while creating new works for the University Dancers. Soon after she began teaching for Jessica Morgan School of Dance, and continued to dedicate 15 years under Jessica’s mentorship working to expand the studio by introducing new programs such as Summer Intensive, Elements, and The Nutcracker. Marianne purchased the business from Jessica in 2013, and continues striving to meet the unique needs of each student, while maintaining the traditions and foundation that she learned as a young dancer. With over 25 years of teaching experience, Marianne has created many original short works and full length ballets, bringing hundreds of dancers of all ages and abilities to the stage for performances. She has received notable awards in the dance competition circuit, notably Best Choreography for “Last Dance”, “Fragile”, “Ballet Battle”, and “Summer Wind”, Best Direction for “Wild Things”, and “Where’s Waldo”, and many Studio Spirit awards for her team’s backstage etiquette and positive sportsmanship. She has most recently created a program for local assisted living facilities, bringing the residents a unique approach to moving their bodies through dance related exercise while enjoying familiar music and camaraderie with peers. When she is not at the studio, she loves to play chess and hike with her husband David, or relax with a good book. She is a resident of Powhatan County where she serves on the Gifted Advisory Committee for the PCPS School Board.
Thank you for a wonderful 10 years of MKSD!
