Christi Janney’s first nine years of dance education left her with a life-long devotion towards the art of dance. In addition to her demanding early instruction, she broadened and expanded her training with Finis Jhung in Gainesville, FL, Koresh in Philadelphia, PA, Towson University in Towson, MD, and Goucher College in Towson, MD. As a beginning college student, she received prestigious awards from the University of the Arts in PA and Goucher College in Towson, MD. Her personal performance credits include many lead and supporting roles during her dance career.
She began her professional choreographic career in North East, MD in 2001. She choreographed and developed stage productions for seven years with shows like The Lion King, Beauty & the Beast, The Little Mermaid, The Nutcracker, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty. When she established the Eclipse Performing Dance Company, her love of choreography took a diverse step by producing original works that were one-of-a-kind creations from the depths of her heart and experiences. The emotional journey of STORM in 2012 led to encore presentations in 2014 and 2019. Choreography from STORM was additionally showcased at the Annual Choose Respect Conference at the request of the Montgomery County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council. Her holiday presentations of Thriller Nights and Spirit of Christmas were also well recognized with encore productions and Just Breathe provided the inspiration to stand together in the fight against cancer. Controversy, in June 2016 and then again ON TOUR in 2020, was created to send a strong message against any form of prejudice in an effort to ‘heal the world’. Eclipse’s momentum came to an abrupt halt in 2020 when the pandemic hit and artists all over the world suffered a huge loss. Through that darkness came the inspiration for The Love Project, an original work presented in 2021 about the 8 different types of love categorized by Greek philosophers – Mania, Philautia, Philia, Ludus, Eros, Storge, Pragma and Agape. Most recently, Eclipse has taken a speakeasy approach with the upcoming 7th original work, Vaudeville Showcase! This broadway style production is just another spectrum into the diversity of Ms. Janney. Additionally, Ms. Janney provided choreography for the Maryland and Delaware Dance Festivals, Milburn Stone Theatre, Kinetics Dance Theatre, Harford Ballet Company, Street Lamp Productions and The Everett Theatre. In addition, she’s expanded her talents by showcasing choreographed dances at wedding receptions.
Ms. Janney began teaching dance classes in 1997 and has continued in that path since. She has taught in Cecil, Harford, Baltimore and other surrounding counties in the genres of Ballet, Pointe, Partnering, Modern, Contemporary, Jazz, Lyrical, Hip Hop, Tap, African, Latin, Broadway, Improvisation and Musical Theatre. She was a guest specialist for Cecil County Public Schools and has taught for Cecil College’s Kids in Kollege program. Specifically for her students, Ms. Janney has prepared choreography for college auditions, biographical DVD’s, talent shows and the Miss Maryland pageant. She additionally developed and implemented her own pioneers of modern dance curriculum.
Ms. Janney opened Eclipse Performing Dance Company in 2012 as the director and operator. Since then, her company has grown to house not only the adult professional Eclipse Performing Dance Company, but also the Internship/Apprenticeship program for intermediate students. Ms. Janney currently spends her days at Eclipse teaching, choreographing, and directing classes or rehearsals. She prides herself on developing and implementing original material for any endeavor she undertakes and enjoys contributing to the ever rising popularity in the art of dance.
‘Life is not about waiting for the STORM to pass, it’s learning to dance in the rain’.
Kelly Heaton received a full tuition scholarship and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Towson University with a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and Education. She was a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society as well as the recipient of the Maryland Teacher’s HOPE Scholarship. Mrs. Heaton received extensive training at Towson University and has studied with Finis Jhung in Gainesville Florida, the Lincoln Center Institute in New York, the Brooklyn Arts Exchange and Dance Etcetera in Brooklyn, New York. She has taught dance and master classes throughout both Harford and Cecil counties for over 20 years and is currently on staff as the Ballet Master here at Eclipse PDC. During her dance career, Mrs. Heaton has performed numerous contemporary pieces as well as lead roles in The Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia and The Nutcracker. She also performed with the Eclipse Performing Dance Company in their original productions of Storm, Thriller Nights, Just Breathe, and Spirit of Christmas as well as principal roles in Chicago and The Nutcracker. She is state certified to teach both dance and mathematics and while teaching within the Cecil County Public School System, she was the founder and choreographer of North East Middle School’s dance club. Mrs. Heaton was also the co-author for two dance curricula for Carroll County High Schools.
Tom Manion is a long-time performer and collaborator with Eclipse Performing Dance Company. Working for the Montgomery County government, Tom manages and coordinates all planning and promotional efforts for an annual conference attended by more than 500 people. He has also spearheaded multiple county-wide outreach campaigns involving TV, radio, print media and social media. Tom has appeared as a subject matter expert on multiple local news programs, and given numerous speeches within the Montgomery County community. Performance credits include lead roles in ‘STORM,’ ‘Thriller Nights,’ ‘Spirit of Christmas,’ and ‘Controversy.’ Tom is also the sole current Eclipse performer since its conception.