Laura Pascolo McRury

Dancer, teacher, and choreographer for over 50 years, Laura started her teaching career with Thunder Bay’s renowned instructors Sylvia Horn and Betty Goodings. Laura is a certified instructor with the Canadian Dance Teachers Association, Licentiate Stage Division-Jazz;, Cecchetti Canada Licentiate; BA Dance Educators of America; The Council of Dance Education and Training, Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing, Theatre Faculty, United Kingdom; Module One Acrobatic Arts; Full Membership with Progressing Ballet Technique; and Member of the Professional Adjudicator’s Alliance.

Laura has been a guest instructor in Canada and the United States and was the founder and artistic director of Le Stelle Alpine Italian Dancers. 

Many former students have been accepted into Professional Training programs and Post-Secondary Graduate Programs across Canada, the USA and Europe,.  Former students have gone on to professional dance careers and is proud of former students Abigail Sheppard, Principal Soloist with The Finnish National Ballet Company, Jordan Wyllie former dancer with Tokyo Disney, and Codi Gowanlock, dancer with Disney & Norwegian Cruise ships.

 
Laura has worked with all 3 school boards as a guest instructor to cover dance curriculum and set choreography at the elementary and high school level. Has won numerous Judge’s Choice and Overall Awards for choreography at many competitions, both regionally and nationally.  Has worked together with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra to create dance sections to highlights of “Carnival of the Animals”, “Blue Danube” and “Stars of the Future”.  Former student, Abigail Sheppard, was selected to star in the leading role as “Marie” (Clara) in “The Nutcracker” with The National Ballet of Canada. Laura was invited by Moscow Ballet to audition and rehearse dancers for the local full production of “Sleeping Beauty”.

Has trained with numerous renowned instructors and choreographers including, the late Glen Gilmour & Jean Spear, as well as Shirley Tetreau, Sheila Kennedy, Nancy Kilgour, Diane Van Schoor, Kate Simmons, Richard Glasstone, Raymond Lukens, to name a few.