Lara Mack has trained since childhood in the Russian Vaganova ballet technique and performed in numerous full-length classical and contemporary ballets at Manassas Ballet Academy and Universal Ballet Academy. Lara graduated from James Madison University with a Dance minor, and returned to dance performance in the winter of 2015 when she and Ellie de Waal started the Harrisonburg Dance Cooperative.
Ellie de waal: Treasurer
Photo Credit: Amelia Schmid
Ellie de Waal is a NYC and Virginia based dance artist and teacher. She holds a BFA in Contemporary Dance from Texas Christian University and has trained extensively in the Netherlands and New York City at some of the top studios in the world. She has received private training from Richmond Ballet faculty member, Sarah Rupple, and from NYC-based coach and teaching artist, Rhonda Malkin. Ellie performed and choreographed an Off-Broadway show "Savage Force" and has choreographed the musicals "Beauty and the Beast" and "Shrek" for Eastern Mennonite University. Her contemporary work has been presented at multiple universities and performance venues as part of solo endeavors and with performing companies, including Harrisonburg Dance Cooperative and concorDance Contemporary. Ellie's work was accepted into the Richmond Dance Festival in 2016 and a Women in Focus presentation that same year. Ellie has taught in K-12 schools as well as private studios for over a decade. Currently her work is being presented in Manhattan as part of an Emerging Choreographers Showcase and she will be performing in "A White Christmas" at La Comedia in Springboro, Ohio. She is a co-founder of the Harrisonburg Dance Cooperative and has taught, choreographed, and performed with them over the last five years.
Anna Morris: Secretary
Photo Credit: Amelia Schmid
Anna Morris grew up dancing at Dance & Company in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where she went on to work as an instructor for over 10 years. Anna received her Bachelor of Arts in Dance from James Madison University and her Master of Arts in Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling from Drexel University. While at JMU, Anna’s choreography “in vein” was selected for the American College Dance Festival Association. In 2015, Anna participated in the early days of the Harrisonburg Dance Cooperative by taking turns teaching classes with a small group of like-minded dancers. Soon after the cooperative was officially founded, Anna moved out of the area for graduate school, however, returned to find that HDC was gaining momentum! Anna has been thrilled to continue involvement in HDC no matter the distance.