Instructors

We take great pride in the quality of our instructional staff. All of our teachers have a combination of extensive professional experience or degrees and all have had previous teaching experience. For detailed information about our specific instructors, please read through our brief biographies below:

LeAnn Garth is the Artistic Director of Magical Movement Dance and Fine Arts Academy. She has studied dance since 4 years of age, and attended the University of Arizona on a full dance scholarship. She has studied dance at the University of Nevada and Arizona State University and danced professionally in both Ballet and Modern companies. Throughout her professional career, she has owned and operated 4 private studios in the United States, Europe and the Far East. She has 31 years teaching experience in all dance forms = Tap, Ballet, Pointe, Modern, Jazz, and Acrobatics = all levels from beginning to advanced. Some of her professional accomplishments include:

• Member of DEA (Dance Educators of America)
  
• Member of Professional Dance Teacher Association (PDTA)
  
• Member of National Dance Association (NDA ) and the American Alliance for Health,
• Physical Education recreation and Dance. (AAHPERD)
  
• Member of Dance Arts Institute (DAI)
  
• Graduate of Dance Educators of America (DEA) teacher training programs.
  
• Certified by DEA by examination to teach ballet, jazz, tap, modern dance, and acrobatics.
• Continuing education through 2 yearly workshops with well-known ‘famous’ Master teachers and dancers as well as working on additional certifications in dance studies
  
• Also furthering education in child development and early childhood education workshops
  

Mrs. Garth also has a nursing background, which further enhances her knowledge of child development, anatomy, injury prevention and correct use of the body. Mrs. Garth has taught dance all over the world and has had contracts with the federal government to teach dance. She has also been employed by the Henrico School system. Both jobs require complete finger printing and background checks. Mrs. Garth is married, has two grown children. Her hobbies include collecting dance-related items, antiques, Steiff animals, reading, traveling and of course dancing. She feels privileged to share her love of music and movement with your children.

Maggie Szydlowski Joseph started dance at the age of seven with dance and acrobatics. Soon thereafter, she added ballet, pointe, and tap. While attending Longwood University, Maggie danced with the Longwood Company of Dancers and added Hip-Hop, Lyrical, and African dance to her repertoire. While with the Company, Maggie choreographed a number of pieces, and was featured in solo work as well. While at Longwood, she also learned the importance of showing emotion as part of her dance performances bringing additional depth and range to the choreography, which better lends itself to the theatre.

Maggie studied both Theatre and Education and received her BA in Theatre from Longwood as well as her teaching license. Maggie is currently teaching Theatre and Theatre Production at L C Bird High School as well as coaching the Dance Team. At Magical Movement, Maggie teaches Jazz and Hip Hop to students ages 9 and up.

Angelique Milone has experience in a wide variety of dance styles. She started studying dance at the age of four here in the Richmond area. After high school, Angelique continued her studies at Sweet Briar College, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Dance. Angelique has studied and taught tap, jazz, pointe, and ballet. For the past four years Angelique has focused on teaching ballet and tap lessons to preschoolers. In addition to teaching different style of dance, Angelique will enrich her classes by sharing dance history with the students. Angelique will also bring additional experience in lighting and staging to the studio. Having studied to become an elementary school teacher, lesson planning and classroom management are also among Angelique's strengths. Most importantly, Angelique wants to share her love of dance and movement with her students.

Kelly Merrill has been teaching at Magical Movement Dance and Fine Arts Academy for three years, specializing in creative movement, kinderjazz, beginning hip-hop, and ballet, tap and jazz combination classes. Additionally, she teaches modern classes.

Kelly began dance at the age of two and has wanted a career in dance education ever since. She graduated from Radford University with a Bachelor of Science in Dance, specializing in creative movement for children as well as modern dance.

The saying is that you have found your calling when you love the job you do. Kelly is very excited about teaching and loves spending the time with the children. Watching the dancers' faces light up when they learn something new and knowing she helped them is an incredible feeling for her. Kelly says that teaching is her passion and that she looks forward to being able to share the love of learning and dance with your children.

Allison LaNeave began studying ballet at a young age with the Richmond Ballet, where she excelled in technique and spent many years at the School of Richmond Ballet. In choreography courses, Allison’s pieces were often chosen to be performed for the school. After delving in modern, character and jazz dance, she chose to further focus her love of dance and choreography at VCU. Studying with masters such as Francis Wessels, David Dorfmann, and Scott Putman, and continuing with Richmond Ballet's Mr. Maider, supplied invaluable tools that she now loves to impart to her students and children. Cultivating new ways of enriching her students' experience of dance is just one way she likes to spend her time. Allison hopes to create a love of life and dance for her students.