Ellie de Waal, a co-founder of the Harrisonburg Dance Cooperative, is a NYC and Virginia based dance artist and teacher. She holds a BFA in Contemporary Dance from Texas Christian University and has trained extensively in the Netherlands and New York City at some of the top studios in the world. She has received private training and coaching from Richmond Ballet faculty member, Sarah Rupple, and from NYC-based coaches and teaching artists, Rhonda Malkin and Karen Mitchell. Ellie performed in and choreographed an Off-Broadway show "Savage Force" and her choreography has been selected for emerging artists showcases in NYC and Richmond, VA. She has her own company, Ellie de Waal and Dancers, which performed new works in Manhattan and Harrisonburg in 2023. Currently she is the resident choreographer at Eastern Mennonite University and has choreographed award-winning operas, plays, and musicals including “Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812”, “The Crucible”, and “Noye’s Fludde.” You can find out more about Ellie on her website at www.elliedewaal.com.