Instructors | Ashland Dance Academy

Meet the Team

Dedicated professionals passionate about nurturing the next generation of dancers.

Owner / Director

Colette Maranda

Colette Maranda has been dancing since the age of nine and teaching dance for more than 40 years. She began assisting in classes in junior high and started teaching in high school, beginning a lifelong career centered around dance, education, and children.

Colette trained extensively in ballet, tap, and jazz and has performed with numerous performing groups, with roles including Cats, Beauty and the Beast, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, and The Phantom of the Opera. She began competing in dance at age 14 and went on to spend 17 years as part of the management and artistic team at Temecula Dance Company in California.

In 2018, Colette and her husband, Thomas, moved their family to Ashland, Virginia, where they opened Ashland Dance Academy in 2020 with 17 students. ADA now serves more than 300 dancers as it enters its seventh season.

Community is at the heart of Colette's vision for ADA. She is passionate about opportunities for dancers to perform, give back, connect with others, and experience the joy of dance beyond the studio walls.

Colette holds a Master's Degree in Elementary Education, is a Reading Specialist, and has taught all grade levels in the public school system. Her background in education shapes her belief that every child deserves to feel successful, valued, and seen.

Colette and Thomas are the proud parents of three daughters, Isabella, Brooke, and Sofia, and are grateful to call Ashland home.

Anulette Keener

Instructor

Blair Moring

Instructor

Bry Miranda

Instructor

Cassidy Schloss

Instructor

Emma Birlew

Instructor

Haven Abernathy

Instructor

Jessica Bartell

Instructor

Krista Furr

Instructor

Olivia Kompelien

Instructor

Renee McGowen

Instructor

With over 45 years of experience in dance and choreography, Valerie Calogerakis is a highly respected teacher and choreographer known for her dynamic style and creative, original movement in all types of dance. She received extensive training from Heritage School of Dance, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond Ballet, and Concert Ballet of Virginia. Valerie has graced stages across the United States and internationally — performing and choreographing for theme parks, cruise ships, Army bases, and resorts in Japan, the Bahamas, Miami, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. Her passion lies in using dance to tell meaningful stories and bring her creative visions to life. She is proud to have helped shape so many dancers on their path and journey in dance.

Valerie Calogerakis

Instructor

Wendy began dancing at age four at Ray Hollingsworth Dance and Arts Studio in Martinsville, Virginia. She continued her dance training there for fourteen years, studying ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, and character. Her competition group traveled the east coast with Dance Troupe, Inc., performing at exhibitions, conventions, and shows. She was a student teacher in her studio for six years, inspiring her love of teaching young children. After high school, Wendy continued her dance training in college. Today, she is a Reading Specialist and mom of two boys and one very spoiled miniature schnauzer. Wendy's favorite thing about teaching dance at ADA is witnessing the joy on the faces of her dancers as they grow, learn, and develop confidence and independence.