Artistic Team

Ratliff began her dance training at the age of nine at Highlands Center for Ballet Arts and continued dancing there through high school and college. She attended Radford University where she graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance with a classical concentration. While attending Radford, she studied a wide variety of dance styles under Inessa Plekhanova, Deborah McLaughlin, and Bob Boross. While at Radford, Olivia was selected to perform in a jazz dance showcase at Manhattan Movement and Arts Center in New York City as well as an Appalachian-based modern work at the College of New Jersey. She has performed many lead roles including Sugar Plum Fairy, Snow Queen, and Clara from The Nutcracker “Beauty,” in Beauty and the Beast, and Puck from A Midsummer Nights Dream, to name a few.   Olivia continued her education at King University where she obtained a Masters degree in Elementary Education while also teaching and dancing at Highlands Center for Ballet Arts. She taught first grade at Abingdon Elementary for four years. Currently, Olivia is a full-time dance instructor at Southwest Virginia Community College. Additionally, she has her Masters of the Fine Arts in Choreography from Wilson College​​

Originally from Camden, New York, Mr. Smith started dancing under Delia Foley (A.R.A.D.) and completed the Royal Academy of Ballet’s
advanced syllabus with merit. He then attended the University of Missouri-Kansas City on a talent and merit scholarship. Mr. Smith graduated with a B.F.A. in dance, ballet emphasis. Mr. Smith has danced with the Kansas City Ballet School, Montgomery Ballet, Albany Berkshire Ballet, Richmond Ballet, Ballet Theater of Maryland, Manassas Ballet and retired from Roanoke Ballet under Rolando Sarabia in 2023. He has choreographed over 20 Ballets and He was awarded the Virginia Commission of Arts Fellowship for Choreography in 2014 and won Roanoke's year of the Artist in 2023.

Roberts began her studies at Ballet Arts Academy and continued through Bristol Ballet until 2021. In 2019, Roberts was awarded the annual Teresangela Memorial Scholarship. Some of her favorite credits with the company include The Wizard of Oz (Wicked Witch), Cinderella (Winter Fairy), Don Quixote ‘Dream Scene’ (Dulcinea), Oklahoma! (Dream Laurey, Ellen),  From a Mind (Depression Lead), AMDA Dance Workshop (Dancer), Giselle ‘Willis’ (Demi-Soloist), Bowsprit (Dancer). Cameron studied Dance Theatre at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy Conservatory Program and has danced with Steps on Broadway, Broadway Dance Center, South Carolina Dance Conservatory, Radford University, and Southern Appalachian Dance Collective. While with AMDA, Roberts was a part of their marketing/media team and worked on their profiles and outreach. Roberts currently works in the sales department with Barter Theatre and is working towards a Performing Arts Industry Certificate through New York University's Tisch School for the Arts.