About Laura

Laura holds an honours degree in Intercultural Studies (1986) and a postgraduate diploma in Dance Movement Therapy (1990), and is currently researching a degree in dance anthropology. Laura has been researching and teaching traditional folk dances for more than twenty years, specialising in Armenian, Greek, Balkan, and Romani dances, as well as women’s dances, ritual dances and three-measure dances.

Laura’s innovative approach to traditional dance bridges the authenticity of the folk dance world with the spiritual intention of the circle dance world. The dances can be seen both as a nonverbal language and as a form of spiritual practice; through loving attention to style, background, and symbolism, we can approach these dances in a way that reveals the meaning within the movements.

Many traditional dances embody an ancient worldview which affirms the sacredness of the natural world, and fosters our sense of community, interconnectedness and sustainability. In her workshops, Laura seeks to rekindle our understanding of this worldview so that we may experience traditional dance as a means of healing and transformation for our own lives.

Coming from cultures which historically have survived many periods of upheaval and change, these dances can help us develop skills which can guide us through difficult times. In the face of the complex challenges of life in our modern age, our world needs the wisdom, hope and joy carried by these dances more than ever before.

Laura is deeply committed to supporting traditional music and brings musicians to her workshops whenever possible. She has collaborated with the Australian-based Balkan band Xenos on CDs including Fire in the Feet and Cirikli, and in 2001 she travelled to Armenia with Shakeh Avanessian to research ritual dances and produce a CD of traditional Armenian music, Gorani.

Laura brings her inspiring leadership and passionate dancing to twenty countries worldwide. Her articles have been published in many languages, and her work has inspired many. Her workshops are an invitation to rediscover the inner homeland of the dancing body, to be more fully at home in ourselves and in the world.

Currently Laura divides her time between the ecological community of Findhorn in northern Scotland, her worldwide travels for research and teaching, and a small village in Greece.