VCU Dance alumna makes Broadway debut

Mark Robinson
Assistant Spectrum Editor

For VCU alumna Donna Michelle Vaughn, a childhood dream has come true.

A 2006 graduate of VCU’s department of dance and choreography, Vaughn, 27, recently made her Broadway debut as a member of the ensemble in the award-winning musical “The Lion King.”

“It has been amazing,” Vaughn said. “I can actually say that I’m living my dream.”

Vaughn was enrolled in her first ballet and tap dancing class at the age of 3. By 8, she knew dance was her passion.

She cultivated her talent as a teenager at the Baltimore School for the Arts in Maryland before transferring to the Carver School of the Arts in Georgia her sophomore year.

After graduating from high school, Vaughn turned down a contract with Ailey 2, the second company of the New York-based Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; instead, she came to Richmond.

“When I got to VCU, I wasn’t sure it was the place for me because it was more modern based and I was coming from more of a ballet based world,” Vaughn said. “It forced me to become more versatile.”

Despite her initial doubts, Vaughn became a standout in the department and participated in numerous student-choreographed productions as well as departmental features like “Between Ocean and Sky” that traveled around the country.

After completing her degree at VCU, Vaughn toured nationally and internationally with contemporary dance companies Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and DanceWorks Chicago.

In 2008, while visiting her mother in New York, Vaughn auditioned for “The Lion King” on a whim. Six months later, she became an original cast member in the ensemble of “The Lion King” Las Vegas production. She was transferred to New York this past summer.

James Frazier, chairman of the department of dance and choreography at VCU and Vaughn’s former teacher, was not surprised to hear she made it to Broadway.

“She could have done anything,” Frazier said. “Donna already had a really high level of ability before she even came to VCU, and she continued to work at that level to continue to improve and go beyond.”

Scott Putnam, Vaughn’s adviser during her time at VCU, believes her professional success shows the value of studying different styles of dance in a contemporary department.

“It shines a beautiful light on the department for incoming students to realize that this is a place where they can get a great education and be successful. For her, laying the groundwork and walking that path will inspire future dancers,” Putnam said.

“It says a lot about Donna, but it also says a lot about what you’re getting and what you’re experiencing in the educational process at VCU.”

In its 30th-anniversary season, VCU Dance has achieved record enrollment with more than 100 total dance majors.