| Leonardo/ISASTwith Arizona State University

Laurel Shastri

Dancer, Teaching Artistat MoveSpeakSpin
Scotts Valley,
United States

A lifelong love of learning, science, and dance coalesced when Laurel Shastri (MS in Geology) became a teaching artist twenty-five years ago. Her creative mission to integrate dance authentically yielded a number of unique units, including ‘The Scientific Dancer,’ ‘Meaningful Movement,’ and ‘DANCE as ACTIVism.’ Her work is featured in the college text 'Creating Meaning Through Literature and the Arts,’ by Claudia Cornett. She inspired thousands of students through Arts Council Santa Cruz County, Montalvo Arts Center and Tennessee Art Commission arts education programs. She has led interactive, well-received workshops for educators in Tennessee, Florida, and California. She served 25 years at Ballet Tennessee as Associate Director, dancer, faculty, arts education coordinator, and grant writer. Prior to that she was project geologist and chemical technician for environmental firms at Los Alamos National Laboratory. She is currently faculty of Dancenter and performs with MoveSpeakSpin in Santa Cruz.