LaWanda S. Raines is currently an Assistant Professor of Dance in the Health Physical Education and Recreation Department at Virginia State University. LaWanda S. Raines challenges her students to be fully embodied. Mrs. Raines works to create a safe space for learning and healing through dance that facilitates lifelong movement. Her personal choreography utilizes the intersections of culture through dance while engaging the audience in journeys that explore mental health issues, toxic relationships, disability, marriage, poverty, and racism. Her dance experience has led her to create Virginia Black Dance Festival to support artists of color in connecting to each other, present work, and provide mentorship opportunities.

Mrs. Raines received her BFA in Dance and Choreography from Virginia Commonwealth University, and her MFA from St. Marys’ college of California. She has worked as a dance teaching artist, performer, choreographer and costume designer in the Richmond VA area since 1998.

The breadth of her dance background includes ballet, jazz, hip hop, Modern, somatic dance practices, dance for special needs, Hula, gymnastics, Salsa, merengue, Cha Cha, Flamenco, West African, Afro-Caribbean, musical theater. She has performed with African American Repertory Theater, Claves Unidos, Fred Ho, Lula Washington Dance Theater, Ujima Dance Theater, Chris Burnside, Doug Neilsen, Latin Ballet of Virginia. Some of her dance instructors include West African with Faye Walker, Flamenco with Antonio Hidalgo Paz, and Miguel Vargas, Ballet with Carol Crawford Smith, Orisha with Ife Michelle, and Rumba with Alberto Limonta Perez.

She has worked as a teaching artist with Young Audiences Virginia, Central Virginia Wolf Trap, and United Way Success by Six, Latin Ballet of Virginia, and Richmond CenterStage Bright Lights Education Foundation now called Richmond Performing Arts Alliance.

As a choreographer, she has created work for CLAVES UNIDOS, African American Repertory Theater, Richmond City Dance program (2000-2006), Latin Ballet of Virginia (2003-2014), and Pilates Dance and More (2004-2007). Her choreography has been nominated for a Richmond Critics’ Circle Award and selected at the Black College Dance Exchange in 2000, and Starr Foster Dance Projects’ annual choreographer’s showcase. She was the 2022 RVA Dance Awards recipient of the Community Dancer of the Year.

Her technical production experience also includes costume design and construction and stage management.