July 25, 2002
Little Rocky Run resident Stephanie Dolan, a 2001 Centreville High graduate, is making her professional dancing debut this summer at Paramount's Kings Dominion.
This 19-year-old dances and sings backup in the show called "Graveyard Shift," a 30-minute musical with six dancers and four singers performed in the Paramount Theater. The show's theme is the afterlife with the dancers and singers dressed as zombies in a graveyard setting. The performers sing and dance to popular songs — like Whitney Houston's "Queen of the Night" renamed "Queen of the Fright."
Stephanie auditioned for the job last November and did not get word back until April that she got it.
"I'm really happy that she is doing something she loves; she's young and on the right track," said her mother Karen Dolan.
For the summer, Stephanie lives in Richmond with her grandparents and performs four times a day for eight days with two days off. On her days off, she manages to spend time with her family in Centreville.
"Stephanie really works hard. You have to be pretty dedicated to do what she does," says Elizabeth "Busy" Howerter, a friend of Stephanie's since sixth grade. "She totally puts her heart into it and it definitely comes out in her dancing."
Stephanie, who began dancing at age 3 1/2, started to get serious about her craft in eighth grade at the age of 14. Then she signed up for classes at Encore Theatrical Arts Project (ETAP) of Centreville, under the guidance of Raynor van der Merwe, a native of South Africa.
She practiced about 20 hours per week for five years and performed in the annual Christmas show and spring shows while doing her school work and other school musicals.
"Everything I know she basically taught me," said Stephanie of van der Merwe.
"She has been fortunate enough to be a very flexible dancer," said van der Merwe of Stephanie's dancing. Stephanie has studied many different styles of dance during her years of training with van der Merwe — classic/Fosse style is her specialty. "I hope she continues to stay focused and passionate," said van der Merwe.
Younger sister Rachel Dolan, also a accomplished dancer, studied dance at ETAP along side her older sister.
"I absolutely support her and our family is really excited to see what she does next," said Rachel. "She has a special caring for people and it comes out in her dancing."
Of her opening night performance in Graveyard Shift on May 26, van der Merwe said: "I was so impressed. It was a good, strong show, and she was just so professional."
Stephanie's mother also enjoyed the performance saying the show "appeals to a fairly wide audience — and I was surprised at the caliber."
In the fall, Stephanie will resume studying dance performance at Towson University in Towson, Md., — a major that will take her closer to her dream job — "to dance in a Broadway show."
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Graveyard Shift is performed at Paramount's Kings Dominion Monday through Friday and Sunday at 1:30 p.m., 2:45 p.m., 4:45 p.m. and 6 p.m., and on Saturdays an additional showing at noon. For prices and more information, log on to www.kingsdominion.com.