Karen Shanley
Karen Shanley has been immersed in the world of dance since childhood, guided by a lifelong passion for movement. She trained in ballet with Evelyn LeMone, Wilson Morelli, Yasuki Sasa, Margaret Craske, Antony Tudor, El Gabriel, and Larry Rosenberg, and studied modern dance with Betty Jones, Viola Farber, and Jeff Slayton. She earned her BA in dance from UCLA and an MA from The Ohio State University, focusing on modern dance and dance history.
Throughout her career, Karen has taught a wide range of ballet and modern classes at the University of Nebraska–Omaha, the University of Hawaii, Brooklyn College, the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, Cal State University Long Beach, and American Dance in San Luis Obispo. She has also been a faculty member for summer intensives in Sun Valley, Idaho, and at Anaheim Ballet in California.
Before relocating to Colorado in 2007, Karen spent 24 years at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California, where she taught ballet and modern and served as Dance Department Chair for 17 years. She is also a certified Pilates and GYROTONIC® instructor and owns Jasper Peak Pilates in Lafayette.
