* Former Dance Company and Studio Owner, Creative Director, Choreographer, Dancer, and Dancer of Advocate for Dancers of Color, all describes Rotita “Ro” Cunningham who possesses over 30 years of experience in the dance and entertainment industries.
* Throughout her grade school years of dance, Rotita began her dance training with local studios like the City Dance Troupe of Richmond, West End Academy of Dance, the Richmond Ballet, Harlem Dance Theatre and the Alvin Ailey Junior Division. With concert and competition dance experience, she entered into commercial dance performing and modeling for companies such as Girl Scouts of America, Wolff Fording, and Disney. Exiting grade school, Ro received her pre- professional credentials from Dance America-Dance Olympus Organization and Richmond Ballet. Graduating from a performing arts high school, she embarked on her college education and focused on gaining a deeper understanding of the Hip Hop Culture. At the same time, she contin- ued her professional teaching career where she instructed and choreographed for companies and studios across the Richmond, Maryland, DC areas.
Throughout her career, Ro performed professionally for different organizations and venues such as Busch Gardens Williamsburg, the Kennedy Center, Urban Artistry, and several companies rendition of “The Nutcracker”. She currently trains dancers on the high school and collegiate level such as the Governors School of the Arts, City Dance Conservatory, and many ballet schools throughout southeastern Virginia. Her dance instruction has granted opportunities for several of her students and their dance careers. A number of her students have gone to become college dance majors, perform with traveling dance companies, and experience dance intensives across the country. A few of these are Rockettes Dance Intensive, the Joffrey Ballet Chicago Dance Intensive, Kanye West, Chris Brown, Meghan Trainor, Doja Cat, Amazon, Jacobs Pillow, the JAM Youth Project, StompNYC, the NFL Organization, and the NBA Organization. Dance is where her passion lies and it is where she will continue to uniquely impact the world.