The Dance Barn, LLC is a family owned and operated dance studio offering classes in ballet, jazz, tap, modern, and social/ballroom dancing to children of all ages and adults in Greene County, Virginia and surrounding areas. We provide excellent technical training in a fun and nurturing environment, and want all our students to experience the joy of movement that is DANCE.
The Dance Barn began in a converted shed at Sweet Dog Farm as a place for Kelly Silliman to dance, choreograph, and teach friends and family. Kelly and Tom wanted to work closer to home, and while looking for things to do with their three daughters, felt that Greene County could benefit from more activities for kids. In 2008 they moved the Dance Barn to the shopping plaza in Stanardsville, and are now conveniently located in a beautiful studio space between Greene Great Valu and Sal’s Pizza.
Kelly Silliman (Miss Kelly) studied ballet for ten years before falling in love
with modern dance at age fourteen, after which she promptly began her
first company. She holds a BA in Theatre Arts from Stetson University,
and while in school she implemented and taught the modern dance
program for the Academy of Dance in DeLand, FL. During the summers she participated in Drink to This!, a program for emerging artists in the Hartford, CT area, eventually serving as artistic co-director. After college, Kelly
moved to Boston, where she co-founded Royal Jelly, a performance
ensemble for dancers, musicians, and artists. In 2000, she moved to
Tucson, AZ, where she danced with NEW ARTiculations Dance Theatre. She founded the company’s Youth Dance Ensemble, which offered training and performance experience to low-income youth, as well as choreographing on and teaching NEW ART’s professional dancers. Kelly also spent many years teaching ballet and modern in the studio setting. Since moving to central Virginia in 2004, Kelly has danced with
Prospect Dance Group, performed in Wunderkammer and Shentai, and is
currently working with inFlux Dance and UpRooted Dance Theatre. In addition to The Dance Barn, Kelly and Tom own Sweet Dog Farm, a sustainable agricultural (ad)venture here in Greene County. Kelly teaches ballet, jazz, and modern classes for The Dance Barn.
Tom Silliman (Mr. Tom) began dancing when Kelly brought him to a ballroom dance lesson in 1995. He joined the ballroom dance team at Northeastern University in Boston, MA, from which he holds a BS in electrical engineering. During and after college, Tom (and eventually Kelly) participated in ballroom dance competitions around the New England area. Throughout his career as a Systems Administrator/IT Manager for various companies, Tom has continued to dance and teach ballroom and social dancing professionally, including working with couples to choreograph wedding dances. Tom and Kelly last performed at First Night in Charlottesville 2007. Having recently left the corporate world, Tom teaches social dancing at The Dance Barn and heads up the adventures in farming at Sweet Dog Farm.
Rosalie Silliman has been attending dance rehearsals and performances for six years. She performed as an infant with NEW ARTiculations Dance Theatre in a piece with Kelly. She was most recently seen in the Greene HomeInsteaders’ Christmas Musical. Rosalie likes fairies and nature and animals and dancing and loves living on a farm.
Arissa Silliman has also been to many dance rehearsals and performances, and enjoys running wildly around empty studios. She likes fairies and trucks and playing in the mud.
Phoebe Silliman has spent many dance classes in a carrier on Kelly’s back. She appeared briefly in Shentai before leaving to pursue other interests. Phoebe likes telephones and walking and loves her big sisters.
