Meet ML and UL Dance Teacher Cara Lavallee!

By Head of Community Engagement Gordon Mathis

Cara Lavallee, the new dance instructor in ML and UL, brings a wealth of experience to The Galloway School. “I grew up in a dance studio,” she introduces herself, learning ballet and jazz as a youngster and discovering hip hop in high school. After pursuing a dance major at Hobart William Smith, she continued graduate studies at Temple University, focusing on dance education and dance science, including coursework in anatomy, kinesiology, dance history, and curriculum building. Before coming to Galloway at the start of the 2021-22 school year, Ms. Lavallee worked at Episcopal Academy outside Philadelphia, teaching students in grades 5 – 12 and creating programs for children as young as 2nd grade.

“I am impressed by the focus on student-driven creativity and exploration in Galloway’s approach to the arts,” she observes. In her own classes, she emphasizes dance literacy, helping students discuss dance, write about dance, and analyze and critique dance as an art form. She encourages students to express their own thoughts and ideas through dance and movement, noting “I value all student experiences, equally welcoming the student with twelve years of dance experience as well as the student with one year of experience.” 

Open to 7th and 8th graders, Ms. Lavallee’s ML course explores different dance styles and genres like jazz, hip hop, and lyrical dance. In the spring, the UL students in Dance Ensemble will develop their own choreography, working on a solo piece while thinking about the message inside the movement they design. In her yoga class, Ms. Lavallee works with a range of students who might not identify themselves as dancers. Through yoga, she teaches an understanding of the body: anatomy, movement, and breathing, as well as mindfulness techniques.

Ms. Lavallee is also excited to serve as the choreographer for the upcoming spring musical, Rent. She is looking forward to collaborating with her colleagues as she designs a gritty and “angsty” mood for the dances for the musical. We can’t wait to see Ms. Lavallee’s work in action!