About Arlene Larson

Arlene Larson, RAD RTS, is a Registered Teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD),  the largest and most respected examining and teaching organization of classical ballet in the world.  A native of Chicago, she studied with such notable teachers as Richard Ellis and Christine Du Boulay, Joel Hall, Mary Ward, Hama in Los Angeles, and members of the Twyla Tharp Company in New York.  She has performed in Chicago and Kalamazoo, MI.

Ms. Larson has been teaching since 1994 and has been entering students for RAD ballet examinations since 1996, with success to the highest level of Solo Seal Award, an award that in any given year is only received by 20 to 30 dancers in the world.  In 2014 she trained a semi-finalist competitor for the prestigious RAD Genée International Ballet Competition, Antwerp, Belgium.  A number of her students have gone on to professional careers in dance.

In addition to owning her own dance school, Ms. Larson is Artistic Director of Michigan Dance Theatre.  In 2004/2005 she was principal teacher at the Ballet Idaho Academy in Boise, ID, and over the years she has taught at numerous schools and universities in Michigan including The School of the Grand Rapids Ballet, Grand Valley State University and Western Michigan University.  She has coached both university synchronized skating and competitive gymnastics teams.