Artistic Team

Ratliff began her dance training at the age of nine at Highlands Center for Ballet Arts and continued dancing there through high school and college. She attended Radford University where she graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance with a classical concentration. While attending Radford, she studied a wide variety of dance styles under Inessa Plekhanova, Deborah McLaughlin, and Bob Boross. While at Radford, Olivia was selected to perform in a jazz dance showcase at Manhattan Movement and Arts Center in New York City as well as an Appalachian-based modern work at the College of New Jersey. She has performed many lead roles including Sugar Plum Fairy, Snow Queen, and Clara from The Nutcracker “Beauty,” in Beauty and the Beast, and Puck from A Midsummer Nights Dream, to name a few.   Olivia continued her education at King University where she obtained a Masters degree in Elementary Education while also teaching and dancing at Highlands Center for Ballet Arts. She taught first grade at Abingdon Elementary for four years. Currently, Olivia is a full-time dance instructor at Southwest Virginia Community College. Additionally, she has her Masters of the Fine Arts in Choreography from Wilson College​​

Originally from Camden, New York, Mr. Smith started dancing under Delia Foley (A.R.A.D.) and completed the Royal Academy of Ballet’s
advanced syllabus with merit. He then attended the University of Missouri-Kansas City on a talent and merit scholarship. Mr. Smith graduated with a B.F.A. in dance, ballet emphasis. Mr. Smith has danced with the Kansas City Ballet School, Montgomery Ballet, Albany Berkshire Ballet, Richmond Ballet, Ballet Theater of Maryland, Manassas Ballet and retired from Roanoke Ballet under Rolando Sarabia in 2023. He has choreographed over 20 Ballets and He was awarded the Virginia Commission of Arts Fellowship for Choreography in 2014 and won Roanoke's year of the Artist in 2023.

D’Arcy Morrell began her dance training at age four under the instruction of Jo Rosser at Ballet Arts Academy. In 2009 she began training at Highlands Center for Ballet Arts, where she continued dancing throughout high school. While at Highlands Ballet, Morrell danced several leading roles including Arabian in the Nutcracker and Alice in Alice in Wonderland. Upon graduating high school, she moved to New York City to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she obtained a degree in Advertising Communications in 2021. While living in New York she continued taking regular dance classes at Steps on Broadway. Morrell is a founding member of Southern Appalachian Dance Collective.

Stephanie is delighted to be working with Southern Appalachian Dance Collective for their 3rd season! Previously she lead the costume department at Highlands Ballet. Some of her favorite shows she's worked on include 'Alice in Wonderland', 'The Nutcracker', 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', 'Cinderella', 'A Christmas Carol', 'The Wizard of Oz', 'The Magic Butterfly', and more! Waldron is a native of Bristol, VA, and a proud mom to D'Arcy and Erik. 

Temmy is excited to be working with Southern Appalachian Dance Collective and their great team! In the past, he has worked on set, props, fly-rail, and more for Theatre Bristol and Bristol Ballet. Some of his favorite shows include 'The Wizard of Oz', 'The Nutcracker', 'ANNIE', 'Fiddler on the Roof', 'Cinderella', 'Beauty and the Beast', 'The Little Mermaid', 'ELF', 'Oklahoma!', 'Alice in Wonderland', and 'Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang'. He is a native of Bristol, TN, and father to Cameron. Enjoy the show!