Adriane Whalen

Adriane Whalen, a Washington, D.C. native, began her love of dance at the age of 3, 
dancing with Erika Thimey, a renowned teacher and choreographer. From the age of 
nine through high school, Ms. Whalen studied and performed ballet with Lily Ann 
Tchaikovsky, the mother of the famous ABT ballerina, Marianna Tchaikovsky. Ms. 
Whalen attended the University of California at Berkeley, where she received a B.A. 
in Political Science. During college, Ms. Whalen danced and performed with the 
Berkeley Conservatory Ballet Company, as well as with Berkeley’s Modern Dance 
Department which was directed by David and Marty Wood, both of whom worked closely 
with Martha Graham. After completing her studies at Berkeley, she returned to the 
Washington, D.C. dance community. Ms. Whalen joined the Greg Reynolds Dance Quintet 
and performed on television and in many prestigious venues, including Lincoln 
Center, the Smithsonian, Trinity Theater and Silvian Theater. After dancing 
professionally for several years, she began teaching dance. More recently, Ms. 
Whalen became a member of Tapestry, a dance company directed by Nancy Newel, in 
1998. Ms. Whalen has performed and worked with many of the all-time great tap 
dancers, including Savion Glover, Karl Du Hoffman, Fred Kelley, Diane Walker and 
Rusty Frank. She was the director of DC Dance Collective’s Children’s Program when 
the studio opened. Ms. Whalen teaches dance to adults and children daily, is 
currently a member of Silk Road Dance Company, and has been affiliated with Joy of 
Motion Dance Center since 1983.