Laurie Tarter
Professional Artist and Educator
Laurie has been a dancer, teacher and choreographer since 1971. Laurie was a founding member of Pittsburgh Dance Alloy in 1976 and taught dance education classes at their Carnegie Museum of Art studio for ten years. She developed Dance Alloy’s satellite program for The Children’s Institute and continues to teach dance at their Neighborhood Dance Studio in East Liberty. Laurie was a member of the performing arts faculty at The Winchester-Thurston Schools from 1999 through 2005 where she taught all of the lower school children and created and presented over twelve performances per year.
Her professional experience includes being an adjunct professor in Physical Education and Humanities at Chatham University and owning/operating Creative Fitness Center for Dance Arts through 2003. In May 1999, Laurie had the privilege of being a guest on the legendary children's educational program Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. The Pittsburgh Foundation awarded her The Individual Artist Award in 1999 and she received The Girl Scouts Women and Girls of Distinction Award in Art for the year 2000.
Laurie received a B.F.A. from Centenary College in 1975 and completed two years of course requirements as a graduate teaching assistant towards an M.Ed. from the University of Pittsburgh. Teaching developmentally appropriate dance education is Laurie’s primary focus and guiding large groups of young people in the creative process is her specialty. For the past four academic years (2007-2011) Laurie conducted residencies through Gateway to the Arts in early childhood education and is a Western Pennsylvania Wolf Trap Teaching Artist. She has staged choreography for various musicals, most recently Fiddler on the Roof at Shadyside Academy in 2008. In the summer of 2010 Laurie collaborated with writer/ composer Susan Ellen Katz and visual artist Cheryl Capezzuti at Chatham University to create The Legend of Aurora, an original children’s musical with music composed by Mary Ann Ivan, exuberantly performed as a musical revue at Chatham’s Eddy Theater. In summer 2011 Laurie was the Artist-in-Residence for Gateway to the Arts at PACE School and at the Propel School in Montor. Laurie completed the Yoga Alliance Teacher Certification Program in August 2010 and incorporates yoga into her teaching at Mt. Washington Children's Center.
Professional Artist and Educator
Laurie has been a dancer, teacher and choreographer since 1971. Laurie was a founding member of Pittsburgh Dance Alloy in 1976 and taught dance education classes at their Carnegie Museum of Art studio for ten years. She developed Dance Alloy’s satellite program for The Children’s Institute and continues to teach dance at their Neighborhood Dance Studio in East Liberty. Laurie was a member of the performing arts faculty at The Winchester-Thurston Schools from 1999 through 2005 where she taught all of the lower school children and created and presented over twelve performances per year.
Her professional experience includes being an adjunct professor in Physical Education and Humanities at Chatham University and owning/operating Creative Fitness Center for Dance Arts through 2003. In May 1999, Laurie had the privilege of being a guest on the legendary children's educational program Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. The Pittsburgh Foundation awarded her The Individual Artist Award in 1999 and she received The Girl Scouts Women and Girls of Distinction Award in Art for the year 2000.
Laurie received a B.F.A. from Centenary College in 1975 and completed two years of course requirements as a graduate teaching assistant towards an M.Ed. from the University of Pittsburgh. Teaching developmentally appropriate dance education is Laurie’s primary focus and guiding large groups of young people in the creative process is her specialty. For the past four academic years (2007-2011) Laurie conducted residencies through Gateway to the Arts in early childhood education and is a Western Pennsylvania Wolf Trap Teaching Artist. She has staged choreography for various musicals, most recently Fiddler on the Roof at Shadyside Academy in 2008. In the summer of 2010 Laurie collaborated with writer/ composer Susan Ellen Katz and visual artist Cheryl Capezzuti at Chatham University to create The Legend of Aurora, an original children’s musical with music composed by Mary Ann Ivan, exuberantly performed as a musical revue at Chatham’s Eddy Theater. In summer 2011 Laurie was the Artist-in-Residence for Gateway to the Arts at PACE School and at the Propel School in Montor. Laurie completed the Yoga Alliance Teacher Certification Program in August 2010 and incorporates yoga into her teaching at Mt. Washington Children's Center.
