Tami McQueen, M.A. 

Director of Dance Education &

National Honors Society in Dance Arts

Ms. McQueen has been studying, teaching, and performing dance for over 35 years. She holds a B.A. in Dance from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an M.A. in Dance Therapy from the University of California, Los Angeles.  Tami has studied the techniques of Bella Lewitzsky, Bill Evans, Jose Limon, Martha Graham, Dan Wagoner, and more. She has performed with professional dance and theatre companies throughout California, such as the Santa Barbara Repertory West Dance Company, The Dancing Ear Dance Company in Oakland, Modesto Dance Ensemble, Ruth Botchan Dance Company in Oakland, and The Speak Easy Theatre Company in Berkeley.  Tami has been choreographing her own signature works for 25 years, ranging in thematic content, from “dancing for the fun of dancing”, to more personal experiences, to exploring social and historical issues. From 2003-2006, Tami was the Arts in Education Outreach Coordinator for the Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach. She organized, facilitated, and taught dance, music, and theater workshops in the Long Beach Unified School District K-12 classrooms.  Tami co-owned and operated a dance studio, One Performing Arts, in Mission Viejo, Ca. She also served three years as an adjudicator for the Emerging Young Artists Awards. She is a member of the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) and the California Dance Education Association (CDEA). She continues her professional dance teaching studies by attending Dance conferences and workshops, offered by Luna Kids Dance’s California Institute for Dance Learning, NDEO Conferences, CDEA Conferences, and CAPHERD’s Dance and Movement Workshops for dance educators. Tami is dedicated to building a strong dance program at ABLE, and has established the National Honors Society in Dance Arts to support the focus of the program (See National honors tab for information).