Tara Knoll ‘12

Tara has been dancing since she was 3 and has enjoyed taking ballet, tap, modern, jazz, and lyrical at Marlene Moore’s Dance Studio in Pittsburgh, PA.  Her instructor, Diane Meredith Yednak, taught her discipline and the importance of hard work, and her dance group, the “BG’s” have become her sisters over the years.  Tara has competed and participated in Dance Masters of America since the age of 8 and has student taught at her studio for years. She has always loved to tap--a love that kind of, sort of, maybe annoyed her family when, at a young age, she had a wonderful epiphany and created a tap-dancing stage out of wooden boards in her basement. This creation came to an end several splinters and arguments later. Luckily, she didn't give up her love for tap, and joined the BG's to win first overall and the only Platinum in their Dance Masters division for a number called The Jamitors. This has been Tara's favorite experience dancing in the past- the fast-paced tap routine included drumming on trash cans, creating rhythms with brushes and pans, and using newspapers, spray bottles, and air horns.

In addition to competing with her studio, Tara has also been very involved with musical theater. She performed as a dancer in the musicals Footloose, Seussical the Musical, and Grease. Tara also had the opportunity to student-choreograph the musical, The Music Man, for her high school.

Dance has truly provided Tara with a lot of diverse experiences, including modeling for Cicci's Dance Company. Tara began modeling for the company when she was 6 and continued throughout high school.

Once at Princeton, Tara realized that she simply wasn't as happy (just ask her roommate) without having dance as an important part in her life. She is so excited to be dancing with the most amazing girls on campus in eXpressions!