The Faculty
Wanda Martin McGill ~ Executive Director
Wanda Martin McGill has been teaching Classical Ballet and Contemporary dance in the Bay Area and Napa Valley for over 35 years. She received her professional dance eduction with Dance Theater of Harlem in New York City and studied contemporary dance at The Alvin Ailey School. Returning to the Bay Area, she continued studies with Alonzo King, director of Lines Contemporary Ballet in San Francisco.
Wanda holds graduate level K-12 and Community College credentials in the areas of Fine Art and Dance. Since 1981 she has taught classical ballet and contemporary dance for Napa, Solano and Diablo Valley Community College Districts. She directed her own contemporary ballet company, Visual Moves, which performed in the Bay Area along with producing numerous dance productions for the colleges and the community. Wanda continues to provide professional dance education to hundreds of students each year and maintains the business operations for Napa Regional Dance Company.
Wanda holds graduate level K-12 and Community College credentials in the areas of Fine Art and Dance. Since 1981 she has taught classical ballet and contemporary dance for Napa, Solano and Diablo Valley Community College Districts. She directed her own contemporary ballet company, Visual Moves, which performed in the Bay Area along with producing numerous dance productions for the colleges and the community. Wanda continues to provide professional dance education to hundreds of students each year and maintains the business operations for Napa Regional Dance Company.
Erin Leedom ~ Artistic Director / Ballet Mistress
Erin Leedom received full scholarships as a ballet student at ABT, Joffrey Ballet and SFB. She launched her professional career for over ten years as a Principal Dancer with Oakland Ballet. She has been featured in Dance Magazine and nominated for the Isadora Duncan Award.
Ms.Leedom performed an additional ten years with Ballet West as a Principal Dancer performing many roles such as, Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and numerous George Balanchine ballets. She has performed both nationally and internationally.
Ms. Leedom has over twenty years of teaching experience with students ranging from the very young beginner to the advanced professional. She has choreographed countless ballet works for Napa Regional Dance Company and the Professional Training Program for the Diablo Ballet. She has presented choreography on YouTube of "Voice of Autism", expressing her personal experience of raising her own daughter who is Autistic.
Ms. Leedom has an absolute understanding of dance and music and applies this knowledge to all aspects of her work as a dancer, teacher and mentor.
"I let the music guide me to the movement." "Sharing my life long love of dance has been the biggest joy of my career."
Ms.Leedom performed an additional ten years with Ballet West as a Principal Dancer performing many roles such as, Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and numerous George Balanchine ballets. She has performed both nationally and internationally.
Ms. Leedom has over twenty years of teaching experience with students ranging from the very young beginner to the advanced professional. She has choreographed countless ballet works for Napa Regional Dance Company and the Professional Training Program for the Diablo Ballet. She has presented choreography on YouTube of "Voice of Autism", expressing her personal experience of raising her own daughter who is Autistic.
Ms. Leedom has an absolute understanding of dance and music and applies this knowledge to all aspects of her work as a dancer, teacher and mentor.
"I let the music guide me to the movement." "Sharing my life long love of dance has been the biggest joy of my career."
Carlo Wood, PhD/PT
Dr. Wood graduated from Fresno State in 1999 with a Master’s degree in Physical Therapy and then completed an Orthopedic Manual Therapy Residency and Movement Science Fellowship at Kaiser Permanente which allowed him to became a Board Certified Specialist in Orthopedic Physical Therapy. In 2011, he graduated from the University of South Australia with a Master’s in Musculoskeletal and Sports Physiotherapy and began teaching for Neurodynamic Solutions. In 2014, he completed his Ph.D. in Anatomy from the Pathology Department in the School of Medicine at Loma Linda University and was also asked to speak at the First World Congress of Orthopaedics in China on Best Practice in Sports Medicine. In 2016, he became a manuscript reviewer for the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy. He also treated our athletes as part of the US Olympic Team’s Sports Medicine Program and was asked to return to the World Congress of Orthopaedics to discuss Best Practice in Rehabilitative Medicine. As a fan of the many wonderful performances put on by the NRDC, and the owner of Sports & Orthopaedic Physiotherapy, he is excited to help keep them on their toes and enable them to continue to perform for the enjoyment of the valley.
Lauren Jonas ~ Master Teacher
Co-founder and Artistic Director of Diablo Ballet. Lauren received her training at the Marin Ballet under Maria Vegh and Margaret Swarthout, and then studied under Sally Streets. She performed with the Milwaukee Ballet, the Oakland Ballet and the Southwest Ballet, dancing a wide range of repertoire. She toured the United States with the Moscow Ballet directed by Bolshoi Ballet's Vyacheslav Gordeyev, represented the United States at Expo '86 in Vancouver, Canada, and danced in a PBS film documentary about Isadora Duncan. Since Diablo Ballet's premiere on March 10, 1994, Ms. Jonas has recruited dancers from around the world to present the finest in contemporary and classical ballets. A firm believer in the need to stimulate the cultural development of future generations, Ms. Jonas co-created Diablo Ballet's PEEK Outreach Program in 1995. Lauren Jonas has worked with Napa Regional Dance Company for the past twelve years, sharing her exceptional professional talents with our dancers. She is involved in our summer ballet intensive program and serves as an adjudicator for our annual Nutcracker production.
Jordan Hammond ~ Summer Guest Faculty
Born in Irvine, California, Jordan trained with Hannah Karacic before joining the Ballet Pacifica Conservatory. After spending summers training at the School of American Ballet and SF Ballet School, she was invited to join the School’s Trainee Program in 2008 and two years later joined SF Ballet as a corps de ballet member.
With the Company, Jordan performed roles in full-length ballets such as Tomasson’s Giselle, Swan Lake, Don Quixote, and Romeo & Juliet as well as Cranko’s Onegin, Neumier’s The Little Mermaid, Balanchine’s Coppélia, and Wheeldon’s Cinderella©. In addition, Jordan has performed in works created by Yuri Possokhov, George Balanchine, William Forsythe, Mark Morris, Alexei Ratmansky, Myles Thatcher, and Liam Scarlett, among others.
Photo credit: Chris Hardy
With the Company, Jordan performed roles in full-length ballets such as Tomasson’s Giselle, Swan Lake, Don Quixote, and Romeo & Juliet as well as Cranko’s Onegin, Neumier’s The Little Mermaid, Balanchine’s Coppélia, and Wheeldon’s Cinderella©. In addition, Jordan has performed in works created by Yuri Possokhov, George Balanchine, William Forsythe, Mark Morris, Alexei Ratmansky, Myles Thatcher, and Liam Scarlett, among others.
Photo credit: Chris Hardy
Erin Yarbrough-Powell ~ Summer Guest Faculty
Erin Yarbrough-Powell was born and raised in Fresno, CA, where she received her dance training under Diane K. Mosier. She then went on to study at the Interlochen Arts Academy. After graduating high school, Ms. Yarbrough-Powell danced with the Oakland Ballet for five years, during which time she was awarded the Isadora Duncan Dance Award for her portrayal of Giselle. In 2003 she joined the Smuin Ballet, where she has enjoyed performing leading roles in the works of Amy Seiwert, Helen Pickett, Val Caniparoli, Trey McIntyre, Jiri Kylian, and of course Michael Smuin, among many others. In addition to performing professionally, Ms. Yarbrough-Powell has been teaching dance for over 20 years.