LAURIE JOHNSON

Dancer, Teacher, Choreographer, Drummer, Painter, Author, Life Coach, Toastmaster & Motivational Speaker

DANCE STYLES: RYTHYM | TAP

Laurie was born on Long Island, New York, and she began dancing at age three at her mother’s dance studio, Adele Johnson’s School of Performing Arts on Long Island. Through her many years of training, her primary teacher was her older sister, Mary, who was a senior instructor at the studio. After graduating from high school, Laurie got her Bachelor of Arts in Government Studies at George Washington University in Washington, DC, and then moved to Texas, where she attended the University of Texas, Austin , and earned her Masters of Business Administration in Brand Management & Marketing. She was also a Congressional Intern for the United States House of Representativesand went on to become a Financial Manager for MCI Worldcom in Washington, DC. Her career then led her to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where she served as a Brand Manager for the Sara Lee Corporation.

She later went on to become Marketing Director for Government Management Solutions in Los Angeles, as well as becoming a member of the Los Angeles branch of Toastmasters International. Laurie has also toured the U.S. with two of her sisters in a tapping and drumming group called “Three Sister’s Tappin,”and was awarded a Djembe (drumming) study with Les Percussions de Guinea and Les Ballet Africans in Guinea, West Africa. She has also had the honor of performing at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts honoring Bill “Bojangles” Robinson for National Tap Dance Day, the International Showcase Performance at the Smithsonian Institution, the American Choreography Awards in Los Angeles, and in Debbie Allen’s “The Chocolate Nutcracker.”Laurie has appeared as a featured dancer on “The Gregory Hines Show”on NBC, and as a featured guest on “The John Walsh Show,” “Good Morning Texas,” “The Daily Buzz”and CNN’s “Real Life.”She is also an accomplished authoress whose first book “Rich by Choice, Poor by Habit,”is a concise and easy-to-understand guide to some of the most powerful, life-enriching tools and principles. Her message, Live for Today, Choose for Tomorrow, inspires individuals to shake off mediocrity and to “TAP IN”to their full potential. Her latest book is a compilation of dance and inspirational quotes entitled “Live, Love, Laugh – Dance!”Laurie is also a painter and her latest project uses acrylics on canvas to create her award winning “Message Boards.”Each piece imparts valuable knowledge and insight about life, dancing, spirituality among other interesting subjects. The canvas is her tool for motivating viewers to pursue their passions, take intelligent risks and live out their dreams. Laurie possesses the gift of being able to connect with students of all ages and skill levels and we are very pleased to have her as part of excellent faculty.