Class Description

Learn to move with intention and creativity in this six week course with dancer Laura Patterson. Using set movement exercises and improvisational activities specifically designed for older adults, you will develop strength, flexibility and creativity in a supportive community. This class will focus on the elements of dance beneficial to adults over 50 who are new to or returning to dance: proper alignment of the spine and joints, balance, musicality and coordination. All class activities can be done seated or standing. About Laura: Originally from Knoxville, TN, Laura began her dance career with Go! Contemporary Dance Works as a high school performer. She then earned her BFA in Dance from The Ohio State University with a focus on community engagement, choreography, and pedagogy. During her time at OSU, Laura had the opportunity to perform, teach, and choreograph both locally and internationally. She taught movement workshops for medical students at OSU Medical School, assisted in classes centered on adults with disabilities, and choreographed many of her own works for OSU Dance Concerts. Laura was selected for both DanceBrazil and DanceDenmark while attending OSU. These opportunities allowed her to experience the joys of international touring, nonverbal cultural exchanges, and community building. After graduation, Laura moved to Utah to dance with SALT II, where she worked with choreographers Amy Gunter Lolofie, Ching Ching Wong, and Courtney Mazeika. Re-shifting her energy towards teaching, she is currently a dance instructor for Dublin Dance Center & Gymnastics, where she teaches students ages 3-18 in a wide variety of dance forms, an assistant instructor with Momentum-Excellence, a non-profit that engages fourth graders in the public school systems with dance, live music, and performance, and a dance instructor with Perennial Movement Group for adults ages 50 and up.