Tami holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Choreography and Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  She began her training in ballet, jazz and tap at Madison Performing Arts and continued to study here at A Step Above adding lyrical and pointe to her training.  Tami has attended The Pulse, Tremaine, Company Dance, NYCDA and LA Underground conventions and has taught ballet, jazz, tap, and lyrical to all levels throughout the Madison area for over 22 years.  In addition to her experience working with high school dance teams, Tami has traveled to London and New York to appear in holiday parades.

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At the University level, Tami added modern, ballroom, African, Asian-American, composition and improvisation to her training.  She has worked with Li Chiao-Ping, Jin-Wen Yu, James Sutton, Marlene Skog, Sean Curran, Gloria McLean, Lori May, Claudia Melrose, Frank Hatchet, Kirby Reed, Tyce Diorio, Mia Michaels, Dave Scott, Doug Caldwell, Chris Judd, Joe Tremaine as well as with several guest artists through master classes and seminars including American College Dance Festival.  

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Tami's choreography has been showcased in several UW Dance Department Student Concerts, in local recitals and showcases, in local high school musicals, and at several regional and national competitions.  Recently, Tami's competitive dances have received several choreography awards, excellent technique awards, and most entertaining awards.

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Tami became the director of A Step Above in June 2004.  Tami continues to further expand her knowledge of dance through classes and seminars.  She believes that a diverse dance education is what makes a dancer successful in life as well as in dance.  She has made teaching dance her lifelong commitment and looks forward to a long career of helping her students build confidence and love for the arts through dance.