Marlena James is from Dunwoody Georgia and has been involved in the arts for majority of her life. She began dancing at the age of two training in all styles including jazz, tap, lyrical, ballet, and modern. Further in her life, she joined the company of the Atlanta Jazz Theatre. There, she was involved in competitive dance for many years, where she placed in the top ten overalls several times. So far, she has been very involved in dance at the University of Virginia, taking part in the Virginia Dance Company and Virginia Dance Committee. She is looking into being a dance minor and is excited to be a Miller Arts Scholar.