Faculty
J. Regan Wilson, Artistic Director
J. Regan Wilson began her dance training and teaching career in upstate New York where she attended the State University of New York at Oswego. While at SUNY Oswego, Ms. Wilson was the President of Del Sarte Dance, a performance ensemble, as well as a principal dancer with the Dance Arts Ensemble. Ms. Wilson is also a former member of the Liberty Dance Troupe. She has entertained audiences throughout New York State, including performances at the Bi-Centennial Celebration in New York Harbor, the New York State Fair and Darien Lake Theme Parks.
Ms. Wilson began teaching in 1989 and has taught dance students, beginner through advanced, both in upstate New York and locally. She moved to the Manassas area in 1995 where she continued to teach before opening the Virginia Dance Center in 1999.
Ms. Wilson has attended numerous dance conventions and master classes with such instructors as Joe Lanteri, Frank Hatchett and Rhonda Miller and continues to attend such classes to advance her skills.

Lisa Flannery
This marks Lisa Flannery’s second year teaching at VDC. Growing up an army brat, Ms. Flannery started off in print and commercial work until the first day of ballet class and then was addicted to dance! Ms. Flannery has danced with the Baird Civic Ballet, studying Royal Academy Syllabus, and with Stage Crew Productions in such roles as The Little Mermaid, "Ann" in Raggedy Ann and Andy, "Mrs. Potts" in the Beauty and the Beast, and "Dorothy" in the Wizard of Oz. Continuing on to college, she became president of the University of Kentucky Dance Ensemble and Jazz choreographer of the James Madison University Dance Club. After graduating college, she started teaching at a local dance studio while attending Nursing School at George Mason University. Nursing may be her main job, but dancing has always been her passion! Training and technique have come from many years of competitions, performing and taking master classes under Muna Tsung, Frank Hatchett, Nicole Rome, Lauren Grahm, and Renee Cheneu to name a few.
Windsor Johnson
Windsor Johnson grew up in Spotsylvania, Virginia. Ms. Johnson began dancing at the age of two in Richmond studying at Martinique School of Dance. Martinique School of Dance was run by Ms. Johnson’s grandmother and is now run by her mother. During the summer months, Ms. Johnson studied in New York City at Broadway Dance Center taking classes under Kate Wildish, Dorit Koppel and Frank Hatchett. She also studied under Kristin Neubert with the Neubert Institute of Dance at Carnegie Hall. During the school year Ms. Johnson studied at Fredericksburg Ballet Center, as well as at Avery Ballet under Lisa Avery. Ms. Johnson has performed as a principal dancer in Ballet Petit, a ballet company based in Richmond, and eventually became the company’s Executive Producer. Ms. Johnson obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education at Mary Baldwin College. While attending Mary Baldwin College she studied under Pam McCray of Staunton Academy of Ballet. Ms. Johnson continued to dance after graduating from Mary Baldwin College in 2002. Ms. Johnson is versed in Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Tap and Lyrical.
Renata McLaughlin
Renata McLaughlin has a B.F.A. in dance performance and education from Towson University and an M.F.A. in dance performance and choreography from Mills College. She has been teaching dance since 1996. Her teaching experience includes college dance courses for dance majors and non-majors, studio classes for ages 3-18, creative movement and dance for students at an independent K-12 school, after-school dance programs, and artistic direction of a high school dance team. She has performed regionally with several Baltimore-based modern dance companies including Doug Hamby Dance, The Moving Company, Kinetics Dance Theatre, and The Collective. After settling with her family in Manassas, Ms. McLaughlin began teaching at Virginia Dance Center in the fall of 2007.
Elizabeth Nahser
Elizabeth (Liz) Nahser is a graduate of Mercyhurst College, Cum Laude, with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and concentrations in performance, teaching and choreography. While attending Mercyhurst, Ms. Nahser received academic and dance merit scholarships, the President’s Award for Excellence in Fine and Performing Arts, and served as the Artistic Director of the Mercyhurst College Liturgical Dance Ensemble. Over the past ten years, she has taught and choreographed at several studios in Georgia, Pennsylvania and Virginia in a wide variety of styles and techniques.
Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Ms. Nahser received the majority of her training at the Metropolitan Ballet Theatre, and also studied at the American Ballet Theatre and the Cleveland San Jose Ballet. She has trained under some of the most notable instructors, including Maniya Barredo, Robert Barnett, Marianna Tcherkassky, Edward Villella, and Nan Giordano. Ms Nahser’s repertory includes La Bayadere, Coppelia, Don Quixote, Giselle, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Paquita, Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake.
Leigh-Anne Wencker
Leigh-Anne Wencker is so happy to return to Virginia Dance Center, after three years in New Orleans, Louisiana. In New Orleans, Ms. Wencker continued teaching dance, and worked closely with competition soloists. She is proud to have coached many national title winners, as well as two state winners in Dance Masters of America's Miss Dance competition.
Ms. Wencker earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri. Her performing experience includes three Broadway shows (Crazy For You, Steel Pier, and Beauty and the Beast), many national tours and regional productions, as well as numerous appearances as a Radio City Rockette. She has trained extensively in the style of Bob Fosse, working with Gwen Verdon, Ann Reinking, Chet Walker, and Bill Hastings. Ms. Wencker has taught ballet, tap, jazz, and theater dance at private studios, high schools, universities, dance conventions, and workshops across the U.S. She has also judged many regional and national dance competitions.