Valerie Durham

Valerie Durham discovered Duncan Dance from former Lori Belilove & Company member Jill Sonke while attending the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. During her time at UF, she danced with Sonke's DuncanWorks Children's Dance Theater as a lead dancer and assistent teacher, and also danced with Floridance Company, the resident dance company of UF. She graduated with a degree in Public Relations from UF in 1995.

Valerie began dancing at age three with Virginia Ballet, and quickly expanded her lessons to include ballet, jazz and tap. She continued her ballet and dance training in Nassau, the Bahamas, where her family lived during the 1980s. In Nassau, Valerie appeared with the National Operatic Society in several productions, including Oklahoma, the starring role in Annie and Zaneeta in The Music Man.

Returning to the States in the late 80s, Valerie continued her dance training at Southern Ballet Theater, the Royal Ballet Academy and The Center for Performing Arts. It was during this time that she discovered and added modern dance, particularly the Graham techinque, to her study. She also continued with musical theater appearances and roles in Guys and Dolls, The Sound of Music and Meet Me in St. Louis.

After graduation, Valerie worked for several years at Phillips Publishing International, Inc., the largest newsletter publisher in the U.S., as a marketing manager until meeting and marrying her husband in 1997. They have run a successful multimedia business together for four years, providing clients with websites, CD-ROMs, videos and other media projects.

Valerie is thrilled to have been performing with Lori Belilove & Company since 1999, when she moved to the New York City area to study at the Duncan Foundation with Lori Belilove full-time.

Valerie teaches Duncan Dance at the Isadora Duncan Foundation studio and other dance schools in the Princeton, NJ area. She also enjoys freelance writing, interior design and gardening. She is working on a forthcoming book and TV series on home and garden.