Laura Garofalo is a Chinese American adoptee whose passion for Chinese dance stems from her desire to explore and share her Chinese culture with others through the universal medium of dance. For the past ten years, Laura has been teaching Chinese dance in Maryland to students from preschool through college. Currently, she dances and assists with courses at the Xuejuan Dance Ensemble in Herndon, VA. Laura has performed throughout the Washington, DC area, including at events hosted by the Chinese Cultural and Community Services Center (CCACC) in Montgomery County, MD, as well as at the Freer Gallery in Washington, DC as part of the Smithsonian Institution’s Chinese New Year Celebration. Laura has also helped develop and present Chinese dance educational programs for organizations in the Washington, DC area, including the Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts in Vienna, VA, and the Kennedy Center’s Dance Sanctuaries social impact program.