ACADEMY OF
AT JANUARY'S
Amy Munoz Evert
Children's Programs
Amy has been dancing since the age of 6 studying ballet, tap and jazz and her favorite, Musical theatre dance. She has appeared in many local theatre productions including “Annie”, “The Goodbye Girl”, and “Fame”
While pursing her masters degree in early elementary education at West Virginia University, Amy continued dancing under the direction of Mary Kathryne Wiedebusch and Carole Wiedebusch.
Amy and her husband Tyler now reside in Charleston with their dog Boomer and are expecting their first child. Amy is currently employed by Kanawha County Schools as a Head Start teacher and is thrilled to be joining the faculty at the Academy of Arts at January’s for the 2009-10 season. She will be teaching children’s ballet and tap classes.
Amanda Lanham
Contemporary Dance
Amanda Lanham was trained at the Academy of Arts at January's from the time she was 3 till she graduated high school. She left Charleston to attend college at West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon WV. She graduated with a BFA in International Studies with a dance Minor. While in college Amanda attended all the West Virginia Dance Festivals as well as the American College Dance Festival, and the Winter Dance Festivals at Wesleyan. Amanda was accepted into a Dance Intensive at the Dance Alloy Theatre in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and trained intensily for two weeks in Ballet, Jazz, Modern, African, and Hip Hop. She was also awarded the Outstanding Dancer in Theatre Award in 2011. Ms. Lanham also worked for Kanawha County Schools working as a dance intructor for Kindergarten-fifth grade at JE Robins Elementary and also spent the 2013 summer at Theatre West Virginia, hired as a dancer for Hatfields and McCoys, Honey in the Rock, Wizard of Oz, and Rocket Boys.
Katie Spence
Children's Programs
Katie is new to the staff at January's this year. Recently moved to West Virginia with her fiance and is eager to begin as a new teacher for this school year. She has been dancing since the age of two in Roswell Ga. She studied many different genres of dance as she grew up. Her more serious training was under John Pozzouli at his studio where she focused on Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Contemporary and also did some competition dancing. While she was dancing she was also a teacher assistant and then went on to get her teaching certificate in Coral Springs FL the summer of 2007. She has experience teaching preschool aged students up to Collegiate students. She attended Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, GA, where she received a degree in Athletic Training. She went on to work at Belhaven University as a Dance Athletic Trainer in Jackson, MS. There she also got to teach Tap and Jazz to the college aged students. Katie loves to dance and express herself through dance.She has been asked to be apart of the Company at January's and is excited to be able to dance and perform again. She will be teaching some of the preschool classes, Jazz fusion, and a tumbling class this season. She loves teaching children her passion for dance and hope that she can be a positive and fun influence for the students.
Lacy Hughes
Children's Programs & Hip-Hop
Lacy started her dance training at age eleven, and continued throughout high school, where she was a member of the Capital High Dance Company.
Lacy has an Associate's Degree in Applied Science and an American Sign Language certification. She incorporates sign language into her choreography and utilizes it to teach dance terminology to students.
From 2006 to 2009, Lacy instructed classes in ballet, hip-hop, jazz, sign language, art and yoga at The Boys and Girls Club in Charleston. She directed recitals to showcase the student's talents. Lacy has taught at the WVSU Charleston Stage Company Summer Arts Camp, The Cultural Center's “Arts Sampler” Camp, and also for Child Care Centers and churches around the area.
Lacy has performed interpretive/belly dance professionally with the musical groups, Trielement and Synergy. She has also performed at The West Virginia Dance Festival, FestivALL and in dance competitions such as, Star Systems National Talent Competition, Dance U.S.A., and DTI (Dance Troupe Incorporated). Lacy has taken Hip-Hop dance intensive classes with Dominic “D-Trix” Sandoval, Shane Sparks, Robin Dunn and Ryan Cyphert; and has taken Contemporary/Jazz classes with choreographers; Mia Michaels, Melanie Moore, Tina Cyphert, Melody Lacayanga and Allen Cooper.
From 2009-2010, Lacy interned at The Academy of Arts at January's and performed in the 2010 show of “Chasing Butterflies” as a Lady Bug. Lacy has been teaching at The Academy of Arts at January's since 2010.
Maggie Ryder
Modern, Contemporary
Maggie Lin Ryder is originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and graduated from The University of the Arts in 2004 with a BFA in Dance Education, being certified to teach Pre-K through high school levels. After graduating college, she started auditioning everywhere possible and was contracted into touring nationally with numerous musical artists, dance companies and theater companies, which allowed her to explore the country doing what she loved most--dancing! Throughout her touring years, Maggie always tried to expand her experience and knowledge of dance education, so she made it a point to try to teach in every state she lived in or toured through and participated in any dance education or kinesiology workshops/seminars/lectures/intensives available.
In her hometown of Philadelphia, she was the Early Childhood Director of Movement/Dance Studies at the Settlement Music Schools Kaleidoscope Program (Germantown Branch) as well as a Modern Dance Teacher at the Philadelphia Creative and Performing Arts High School, and also worked and trained with Traci Hall & Company, The Young Professional Dance Company.
Some of Maggie’s most notable professional work on the East Coast includes: The Alvin Ailey Dance Theater school/training/performance, Manfred Fischbeck’s Group Motion performer, Koresh Dance Company, Brian Sanders JUNK Inc. performer, Crylumnia Productions performer, Mia Michaels productions performer, Mikhail Baryshnikov studies & performer, Patrick Swayze studies & performer, Pattie Labelle performer, EVE performer, Jon Bon Jovi performer, Aerosmith performer, Disney Live! performer & choreographer, freelance nightclub/entertainer/dancer/performer, National Theater Institute - touring, American Theater Company - touring, Denise Wall kinesiology studies, Tony Ward Photography, Bill Stank Fine Art Productions, James E. Dupree Studios collaborations and The Philadelphia & New York Fringe Festivals.
Maggie came to West Virginia when she was contracted to perform for Theatre West Virginia and was later contracted and toured with the West Virginia Dance Company. She taught for Theatre West Virginia’s summer and fall Acting Academy programs teaching “Dance Movement for Actors” and then toured with their Educational Puppet Company during the school year and taught with Treehouse Arts Ensemble Summer Theatre Camp at Tamarack.
In Charleston, WV, Maggie immersed herself at the Academy of Arts at January’s, teaching a multitude of year-round classes in Modern, Ballet, Jazz, Tap & Creative Movement and became the JADCO Choreography Showcase Director for two years. In summer seasons, Maggie also taught with Danse Elan LLC Summer Arts Camp, offering Modern Dance/Creative Movement, Production Theater Movement, and Student Choreography at WV State University. Maggie has also taught a variety of classes and productions at the Alban Arts Theatre in St. Albans, the St. Albans Studio of Dance and has worked with the Children’s Theatre of Charleston.
Tamara Buel
Ballet, Character
Children's Programs
Miss Tamara began her classical training in Clearwater, Florida under the instruction of the late Peggie Wallis of New Zealand. She studied Royal Academy of Dance Syllabus and passed three RAD examinations, two with Highly Commended. She also danced with the Florida West Ballet Company for three years. She studied at the Tampa Ballet, and attended RAD workshops for further training, Miss Tamara earned her teaching certification after passing a two-year study course with the RAD. Tamara is also a member of the American Academy of Ballet, NYC. Tamara operated her own school for over 15 years entering students for annual exams with the RAD. All of her dancers earned merit or distinction with her senior dancers passing all of their vocational examinations. Miss Tamara’s dancers also won silver and gold medals each year with the American Academy of Ballet Performance Awards Program. She is pleased to be on staff at January's.
Rachel Arcadipane
Children's Programs
Rachel Buel Arcadipane began dancing as a young child under the direction of her mother Tamara Buel, R.A.D., R.T.S. She has studied the syllabus of the Royal Academy of Dance. She received merit on both her R.A.D. Intermediate and Advanced Foundation Vocational Examinations. She was adjudicated annually by the American Academy of Ballet of New York, receiving nine consecutive gold medals with distinction. Mrs. Arcadipane studied at the Royal Academy of Dance summer intensive in Baltimore, Maryland in 2005. She also studied at Ben Stevenson's Texas Ballet Theatre's summer intensive during 2006. She has trained under the direction of the late Mrs. Peggie Wallis of Bentonville, Arkansas and with Mr. Philip Pegler, member of the Board of Vocational Examiners of the Royal Academy of Dance.
Rachel has completed the Royal Academy of Dance teachers course with the Atlanta Ballet and is also a certified Pilates instructor. Mrs. Arcadipane graduated Magna Cum Laude from Marshall University with a BA in Sociology and a minor in Dance.
Donald Laney
Donald Laney graduated from the University of California, Irvine, with an MFA in Dance. He is currently the Producing Artistic Director of the WV Dance Company, the first and only professional touring dance company in the history of the state of WV. Before entering the graduate program at UCI, Donald performed with the WV Dance Company, Houlihan & Dancers (Miami, FL), Randy James Dance Works (NYC), X-Factor (NC), and Trillium Performing Arts Collective (WV). Donald has served as the WV Governor’s School for the Arts Master Teacher in Modern Dance from 2005 to present. He was awarded the WV Governor’s Award for Leadership in the Arts in 2018.
Suzanne Mathis
Suzanne Mathis holds a BFA in Theatre and Dance from the University of Memphis, Memphis TN. While in Memphis, she worked professionally with Playhouse On The Square, Playhouse On the Square’s Theatre for Youth, Project: Motion, Loop and Memphis Dance Theatre. Suzanne has taught modern dance as adjunct faculty at Marshall University. She has also worked with many of the local arts groups including teaching and performing with the Charleston Ballet and the Charleston Light Opera Guild.