Dorothy began her early dance training in Fort Worth, at Schaffenburg Ballet Academy. She continued study through the TCU Preparatory Class in high school and performed with Fort Worth Ballet under the artistic direction of Fernando Schaffenburg. She had the opportunity to study in New York with artists from the Joffery Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. She majored in dance at the University of Utah.
Ultimately, Dorothy chose a different career path, completing a degree in Recreation and Leisure Studies at University of North Texas. She has been a certified therapeutic recreation specialist, for over 20 years. She was inspired to get back into teaching dance a few years ago, by some of her patients who had Parkinson’s. She completed the Dance for PD® workshop through Mark Morris Dance Group in Brooklyn, New York, and continues to train with Dance for PD®. She has also completed the Boston Ballet Adaptive Dance Teacher training. Dorothy currently performs with the “Dancing Dames” through the local non-profit organization, Taps n Tunes.
In 2018, while working at Texas Health Fort Worth, Dorothy started teaching a Dance for Parkinson class. She now teaches Moving with Grace, at Studio of MoveMINT, a class open to anyone with balance or movement concerns.