2010 YWCA Women of Achievement Honoree #2: Nina Denton Pasinetti

Meet Nina Denton Pasinetti - one of this year’s 2010 YWCA Women of Achievement honorees and the second in our 4-week series of blog posts leading up to this inspirational event on February 18. This year marks the 14th annual YWCA Women of Achievement Awards Luncheon, honoring the outstanding women in our community whose personal and professional achievements inspire and empower other women to strive for their highest goals.

Nina Denton Pasinetti has been passionate about the arts since early in life, when she studied with the National Ballet of Canada, Ballet West, Cecchetti Ballet Council of America, Luigi and the Gus Giordano Center. A former Miss West Virginia, Nina graduated summa cum laude from Morris Harvey College (now the University of Charleston) with a major in mathematics and obtained an M.A. from Ohio University.

Nina returned to Charleston to teach math at George Washington High School, where she also managed, choreographed and directed musicals and plays and later opened Ballet and Musical Theatre Dance Arts Inc. During her early GW teaching days, Nina operated the YWCA’s top floor as a ballet, tap and jazz school of dance. Fifteen years later, she moved to the Oddfellows building and opened Ballet and Musical Theatre Dance Arts Inc. where she continued to teach ballet, tap and jazz for the next 10 years.

During the 1980s, she originated the Appalachian Youth Jazz-Ballet and served as president of Dance West Virginia, where she arranged master classes and dance scholarships to professional schools for talented dancers throughout West Virginia. She began choreographing for the Charleston Light Opera Guild 38 years ago and became their artistic director 26 years ago – choreographing 136 musicals and directing 96 of them to date.

Nina volunteers as board vice president FestivALL Charleston, dance chair on the Clay Center’s programming committee, and adjudicator for the WV State Thespian Festival, while also serving as a member of the University of Charleston National Alumni Board. She is listed in several publications including Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in the World. Nina is extremely proud of her many successful students that have continued professionally in theatre, film, television and dance, including actress Jennifer Garner.