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Born in Norfolk, VA, Ms Graves began her training at the Academy of the Norfolk Ballet under the direction of the late Gene Hammett. She was awarded scholarships to the School of American Ballet and the Joffrey Ballet Company. Ms. Graves holds a BS with Distinction from Indiana University at Bloomington. Ms. Graves began her professional career with the Dance Theatre of Harlem, where she rose to Principal Dancer and later became Ballet Mistress and later Regisseuse. As a member of DTH, Ms Graves performed for such luminaries as former President Bill Clinton, Vice President and Mrs. Al Gore, and former President Ronald Reagan at the first White House State Dinner honoring former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher; Her Royal Highness Princess Margaret; Her Royal Highness Princess Diana; South African President Nelson Mandela and the King of Norway. Ms. Graves has several television credits and was a featured performer in the closing ceremonies of the 1984 Olympics. She has taught at several well known academies and schools including North Carolina School for the Arts, The Governor’s School for the Arts in Norfolk, The Virginia School of the Arts, The Cornish Institute in Seattle, Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute, South Carolina Governor’s School, Dance Theatre of Harlem’s Kennedy Center Residency Program, and Summer Sessions at Virginia Ballet Theatre. Currently Ms Graves is the Artistic Advisor for the Virginia Ballet Theatre and on faculty at the Governor’s School for the Arts in Norfolk, VA. She is also a judge and workshop instructor for Dance America/Dance Olympus. |
