J. Regan Kline, Artistic Director
J. Regan Kline 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. Kline was the President of Del Sarte Dance, a performance ensemble, as well as a principal dancer with the Dance Arts Ensemble. Ms. Kline 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. Kline 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. Kline 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
Lisa Flannery has taught at VDC since 2007. 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 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.

Andrea Jiles
Andrea Jiles is a new resident of the Washington, DC area and loves to share her passion for dance with others. Ms. Jiles began ballet classes at the age of two and her military upbringing allowed her to be exposed to many different dance styles and techniques. She graduated from Shenandoah University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance with Minors in Elementary Education and Pyschology.
Ms. Jiles has had the opportunity to dance the leading roles in several ballets including Nutcracker, Swan Lake and Cinderella, and was also honored at the ACDFA dance conference in Ohio for a dynamic modern solo dedicated to Hurricane Katrina. Ms. Jiles is certified with the Royal Academy of Dance but she also enjoys teaching jazz, hip hop, modern, lyrical, musical theatre and tap. In addition to being a dancer, Ms. Jiles plays clarinet and was fortunate enough to be a performer in the Opening Ceremonies of the 2002 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Ms. Jiles hopes to continue her performing career with a professional dance company in the Washington, DC area and she is excited to be joining the staff of Virginia Dance Center this year.

Elizabeth Nahser
Originally from Atlanta, Elizabeth (Liz) 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 world’s most notable instructors, including Maniya Barredo, Robert Barnett, Marianna Tcherkassky, Edward Villella, and Nan Giordano.
Ms. 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, she received academic and dance merit scholarships, the President’s Award for Excellence in Fine and Performing Arts, the “Living the Mission” award, and served as the Artistic Director of the Mercyhurst College Liturgical Dance Ensemble.
Ms. Nahser has taught in a wide variety of styles and techniques at private studios, public schools, workshops, and universities, and her choreography has been performed at concerts and competitions all over the country. She has also performed with several professional ballet companies, including the Manassas Dance Company and the Lake Erie Ballet. Her classical repertory includes La Bayadere, Coppelia, Don Quixote, Giselle, A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream, Paquita, Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake. This is Ms. Nahser’s seventh year with Virginia Dance Center.

Katie Padgett
A native of Lexington, KY, Katie Padgett spent her early days training at Diana Evans School of Dance. She has performed in local and national dance concerts, festivals, and competitions. Ms. Padgett has taught at dance studios in Kentucky and North Carolina and was the featured tapper with the Gypsy Company in Raleigh, NC. Ms. Padgett moved to the Northern Virginia area in the fall of 2003 and prides herself on bringing a true rhythm tap education to her students.
Ms. Padgett is a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Performing Arts Alliance and is also the co-founder and Artistic Director of the Metropolitan Youth Tap Ensemble (MYTE). In three short seasons, MYTE has danced at Ganz Hall in Chicago, on the CBS Early Show, at the National Cherry Blossom Festival, the DC Tap Festival All-Star Concert, Wolf Trap, The Reston Multicultural Festival, and numerous community festivals and events. In addition, Ms. Padgett is a founding member of the performance group MetroTAP, for which she is also the Artistic Director.
In 2005, Ms. Padgett was invited to perform in the annual Kennedy Center Gala performance, “A Salute to the 1940’s Broadway Musical”, hosted by Julie Andrews and featuring the NSO Pops, conducted by Marvin Hamlisch. Ms. Padgett was invited back to the Gala in 2006, this time hosted by Angela Lansbury, where she performed with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. In 2008, she performed at Lincoln Center in New York City with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, again conducted by Marvin Hamlisch, in “Broadway’s Greatest Showstoppers.” Most recently, Ms. Padgett and her choreography have been seen performing at the Ellington Theater as part of the first annual DC Tap Festival, Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, the Lee Center, and the Ernst Cultural Center. Her students have gone on to dance at the Julliard School, Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, Boston Ballet, Broadways shows, and in numerous college dance programs across the United States.
Ms. Padgett is a proud graduate of Elon University where she studied under the tutelage of leading youth tap dance educator, Gene Medler.