Teaching History

Laura is a biological anthropologist with a special love for tarsiers. She is currently an adjunct professor at the City University of New York, Laura teaches in the Anthropology Departments at several CUNY campuses. She teaches courses on human evolution, human variation, applied evolutionary biology, and human evolutionary genetics. She is dedicated to combining traditional evolutionary biology with modern social issues such as race, disease, and environmental degradation.

Laura has been teaching for over a decade to many different ages and in a wide variety of settings. This includes undergraduate classrooms, summer day camps, science resident camps, and STEM after school programs. She has taught middle school children through adults. This breadth of experience makes her very flexible and able to reach a broad audience.

Laura specializes in curriculum development which she has put to use for LEGO robotics, sustainability, human evolution, and local dance classes.

Select former positions:

  • New York University, adjunct professor
  • NW Outdoor Science School, instructor
  • Girl Scouts Columbia River Council, summer day camp instructor

Laura can provide her full professional CV upon request.

Dance teaching history

Event Workshops

May 15-18, 2020; canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Canadian Swing Championships, instructor with Odysseus Bailer
Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada

April 3-5, 2020; canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
bluesSHOUT!, instructor
Chicago, IL

February 14-16, 2020
Flurry Festival, instructor
Saratoga Springs, NY

June 14-16, 2019
Blues Bump, instructor with Odysseus Bailer and Clyde Wright
Montreal, Quebec, Canada

May 17-20, 2019
Canadian Swing Championships, instructor with Clyde Wright
Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada

June 8-10, 2018
Blues Bump, instructor with Clyde Wright
Montreal, Quebec, Canada

March 16-18, 2018
Steel City Blues, guest instructor with Forrest Rogers-Marcovitz
Pittsburgh, PA

January 19-21, 2018
Blues with Friends, instructor with Clyde Wright
St. Louis, MO

December 8-10, 2017
Snowbound Blues, instructor with Shawn Hershey
Rochester, NY

October 13-15, 2017
Bambloozled, instructor with Clyde Wright
Washington, D.C.

August 4-6, 2017
Sweet Molasses Blues, guest instructor
Boston, MA

July 28-30, 2017
MezzJelly Blues NYC, instructor with Ross Blythe
New York, NY

February 17-19, 2017
Mo’ Better Blues, instructor with Shawn Hershey
Nashville, TN

December 2-4, 2016
Snowbound Blues, guest instructor
Rochester, NY

September 30th-October 2nd, 2016
Lonestar Strut, guest instructor with Ross Blythe
Austin, TX

NYC Local Classes

You Should Be Dancing..!, New York, NY
Instructor, 2017-present

Blues Dance New York, New York, NY
Instructor, 2014-present
Curriculum Coordinator, 2015-2018

Brooklyn Swings, Brooklyn, NY
Instructor, 2015-present

Local Classes Beyond NYC

Blues Union, Boston, MA
Guest instructor, December 8, 2016

Powerhouse Blues, Philadelphia, PA
Guest instructor, October 24, 2016
Guest instructor, December 12, 2016
Guest instructor, December 19, 2016

Local Workshops

May 2019
Blues for Swing Dancers
2.5-hour open level workshop through You Should Be Dancing..!
New York, NY

May 2018
Blues in the Fast Lane
3-hour open level workshop
Denver, CO

April 2018
Jukin’ Blues with Matt Rapp
3-hour open level workshop through You Should Be Dancing..!
New York, NY

March 2018
Introduction to Blues and Fusion with Mark Carpenter
1.5-hour class with Mark Carpenter at Motley Hue
New York, NY

March 2018
Texas Shuffle with Clyde Wright
3-hour open level workshop through You Should Be Dancing..!
New York, NY

October 2017
Ballroomin’ Blues with Clyde Wright
3-hour open level workshop through You Should Be Dancing..!
New York, NY

June 2017, July 2017, October 2017
Blues Crash Course
3-hour beginner workshop through You Should Be Dancing..!
New York, NY

September 2017
The Intersection of Jazz and Blues
4-hour open level workshop through Yale Swing, Blues, and Fusion
New Haven, CT

August 2017
Solo Blues
2-hour open level workshop through You Should Be Dancing..!

December 2016
Shave and a Haircut with Marc Longhenry
1-hour intermediate workshop through Lindy and Blues
Philadelphia, PA

February 2016
Connection Intensive with Brian Richards
4-hour all-levels workshop through Blues Dance New York
New York, NY

September 2015
Level Up Your Blues with Brian Richards
2-hour all-levels workshop through Swing Cville
Charlottesville, VA