Dance has been a lifelong passion for Hamden resident Ms. Tara Burns, a newly hired dance teacher at Choate. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Florida with a B.F.A. in Dance Performance, and she earned an M.A. in Digital Performance from Hull University at Doncaster. Ms. Burns is an active member of the nationally-recognized Adele Myers and Dancers company and currently teaches at the Educational Center for the Arts in downtown New Haven. She said of her teaching speciality, “I think it’s ingrained in the dance culture to teach.”
Connecticut hasn’t always been home for the mother of two. She lived in New York for seven years prior. “I danced for quite a few companies there before moving and getting pregnant,” she laughed. Burns is the mother of four-year-old Leona and two-year-old Ruby. She discovered Choate Rosemary Hall while Adele Myers and Dancers was in residency at the Paul Mellon Arts Center in 2013.
Ms. Burns’s upper-level modern dance class will be a welcomed change of pace for her students. Elements of gymnastics, such as inversions and handstands, will take a heavy presence. Modern dance is Ms. Burns’ style of choice: “You don’t really have any restrictions, and you don’t have to dance a certain way. I like to be able to try new things.”
She has big aspirations for her dance history class in the winter term. “I remember my history classes: sitting, listening, reading. I’m hoping to incorporate a lot of ‘doing’ and action into the class.” Ms. Burns is excited to help her students achieve their goals in the studio and beyond.
