TAWNY CHAPMAN

TAWNY CHAPMAN is an accomplished dance artist and influential educator based in Southern California. Outside the dance studio, she freelances as a Marketing and Graphic Design Specialist for a diverse roster of businesses and organizations in Southern California. To learn more about Tawny's marketing and design services, visit her design site.

With a deep-rooted connection to the area, she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance from Chapman University and is a graduate of the renowned Orange County School of the Arts’ Commercial Dance conservatory. As a seasoned professional concert dancer, Tawny performed nationally and internationally for 16 seasons with Orange County’s critically-acclaimed Backhausdance, appearing in works by Jennifer Backhaus, Jodie Gates, Dwight Rhoden, Ido Tadmor, Rachel Erdos, Yin Yue, and Walter Matteini, among others. Her additional professional performance credits include Jazz Spectrum Dance Company, Sean Greene Dance Company, William Lu's DAS Dance, Fox Family’s House of Pop, and music videos for artists Yo-Yo Ma and Clutch.

As an educator, Tawny has dedicated over 20 years to inspiring and nurturing the next generation of dancers. Her passion for teaching has paved the way for numerous students to secure coveted spots at prestigious institutions such as Juilliard, USC, UCLA, Boston Conservatory, LINES Ballet/Dominican University, and others. Moreover, her mentorship has propelled numerous aspiring dancers into successful careers, securing contracts with esteemed entities such as Oregon Ballet, Houston Ballet, Royal Caribbean, Disney Cruise Lines, Holland America, Disneyland Resort, and prominent Los Angeles agencies. Tawny is committed to creating a positive and inclusive learning environment where students can take risks, think critically, and embrace their creativity. Building confidence is at the core of her teaching, empowering her students to believe in themselves and their abilities.

In addition to performing and teaching, Tawny’s award-winning choreographic works have been performed at Pasadena Dance Festival, Backhausdance’s Platform, Encore Dance Festival, Studio A Dance’s DanceSpot, Hart Pulse Dance’s MixMatch Dance Festival, and beyond.