Dear WEAD families and friends,
Madison Ellis, Owner & School Director
Bio
My name is Miss Madison Ellis, and I am excited to share with you I am the new owner of West End Academy of Dance. I want to take this opportunity to introduce myself, to share with you my plan for the school, both in the short and long term, and to provide my contact information for any questions or concerns you may have.
I was born and raised here in Richmond, Virginia and danced at WEAD from age 5 through 18. My passion for the art continued to grow as I danced into my college years. Dance has always been a release for me, never anything competitive or forced. I dance because I truly love it, and that’s the reason I’m still involved today. I can’t imagine my childhood without dance, and my ultimate goal is to give back to our young dancers all that I learned from West End Academy: values such as discipline, respect, honesty, and also the pure joy of just being yourself.
For those of you who know Miss Mary Munroe, West End Academy’s founder, she was my ballet teacher for years, but she was more than that. She is a true leader and visionary who worked to instill good values in her students and to provide us with the tools we needed to succeed – not only as dancers, but as upstanding members of society. My plan as the owner is to carry on the legacy Miss Mary built over forty years ago. We will remain a neighborhood studio, with nurturing teachers, who are focused on the growth of individual students. We value personal expression and work to cultivate highly skilled, knowledgeable dancers in a safe and fun environment.
I intend to uphold the integrity and traditions of the ballet program West End is known for. We must remain diligent in maintaining our ballet roots while continuing to grow other genres and programs with the same quality, focus, and passion. And doing this requires the support of many!
While I will be the main point of contact for any and everything involving West End, I know I cannot do any of the aforementioned alone. I will rely heavily on our outstanding faculty and Board to guide us to success and to help provide all the resources our dancers need to excel.
Looking ahead a few months, I am getting married in September of this year. Please be assured, while I will be stepping away for a few weeks, our dancers will be well taken care of by our dedicated team. You, as parents and guardians, will be informed, with plenty of advance notice, as to what to expect during this time, and we will make sure any requests you have are appropriately addressed in my brief absence.
We have an impressive summer program lined up at WEAD, and lots to look forward to in the fall as well. As we announced at the end of our shows this past weekend, next year’s recital theme will be A Frozen Oz. This is a very exciting time for West End Academy, and I cannot put into words how thrilled I am to take on this new role. Please do not hesitate to reach out using my contact information below. I will be available in person at the studio during office hours, over the phone, or via email.
Phone: (804) 740-0842 | Calls will be returned promptly
Email: madison@westendacademy.com
I look forward to working with you all!
Sincerely,
Miss Madison
