James LaRussa

James LaRussa began his dance training at The Atlanta Ballet. During his time as a student, James received full scholarships to the Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education and the Australian Ballet School, as well as Boston Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, and Orlando Ballet Summer Intensives. James earned his Bachelor of Arts in Dance & Movement Studies as well as a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a Pre-Veterinary Medicine concentration at Emory University. While studying at Emory, James guest performed with Atlanta Ballet, performed with the Emory Dance Company, captained the Hip-Hop dance crew TrickaNomeTry (TNT), and was hired into the Staibdance Company.

Throughout his career, James has worked with renowned choreographers, including Twyla Tharp, Simon Dow, Paulo Manso de Sousa, and John McFall. Aside from performing with Atlanta Ballet and Staibdance, James has also performed with other notable companies such as Fly on a Wall, Appalachian Ballet Company, and Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre. Meanwhile, James has also traveled to perform, and stage works with Staibdance in Pennsylvania, Alabama, Sweden, and Italy.

Following his eighth season with Staibdance, James now freelances full-time, performing, teaching, and choreographing for numerous dance companies and schools.