Female

28

Born in 1981, Arizona native Laura Masterson is currently a student at Mesa Community College pursuing her BA in Dietetics. She also just graduated The Southwest Institute of Healing Arts with over 1000 hours in Massage Therapy, with a focus on Myotherapy, and Aromatherapy. She is also co-founder and 1/3rd of the C’est De L’or Production Company.

Stated to have started dance “as soon as she was able to count to seven”, she was a student and competitor of Irish Step Dance for the majority of her childhood. She competed and placed in several Preliminary Championships under her instructor, Doireann Maoileidigh Hoy. In 1996, she retired from competition and focused on the theatrical aspects of the dance when asked to join a performance troupe Celtic Fire. She realized her connection to performing, and love of the stage, through the five year run of Celtic Fire. In 2000 she branched over to Scottish Highland and Country Dancing, performing with the troupe Dancing In The Isles for two years. Through her experience of being a cast member of the Arizona Renaissance Festival, she was able to meet two very great influences of her professional dance career. Paul Nicolaides of Bedlam Bells, and Samantha Riggs of Domba! Paul introduced her to the not so recognizable Morris Dancing of the English Cotswolds. She performed with Bedlam Bells Morris and Sword for five years and left during the 2006 season to co-found her own group Black Wren Morris in Tempe, Arizona. Samantha introduced her to the American Tribal Style of Belly Dance which she has been studying for several years. The skill and life lessons that Samantha has instilled in her have driven her to strive for higher learning in cultural dances such as Rajasthani, Bhangra, West African, and the Fire Arts as well as becoming a better teacher, constant student, and bold choreographer. In addition to Black Wren Morris, you can find Laura performing with the Ghazaal Beledi Music and Dance Troupe, which undertakes a broad spectrum of cultural and straight from the street dance genres.

It is Laura’s life’s dream (and soon to be reality) to run a movement and dance studio here in Arizona which will offer this art form that has made her life so full. She would like to become a personal nutrition consultant and bridge the importance of a holistic lifestyle in her clients through diet, movement, and self confidence as well as offering classes for the physical education of children and adolescents. Her current personal desires are to maintain a healthful and consistent yoga practice, as well as learn to play the violin, and spend more time with her boyfriend, Jeff, and their cat, Pumpkin.