Biography CV

TaraMarie Perri is an interdisciplinary professor, performer, and visual artist. Three decades ago, she began the lifelong study path of classical Yoga and Eastern philosophy traditions which led to a teaching vocation alongside careers in higher education, dance performance, and the visual arts. She lives and works in Brooklyn/NYC and nurtures her body of work across the varying landscapes of the US, UK and Europe.

HIGHER EDUCATION
TaraMarie earned an M.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and a B.A. cum laude in Liberal Arts/Visual Arts History from College of the Holy Cross, MA.

In 2006, TaraMarie joined the faculty of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts where she is a Professor of Yoga and Contemplative Studies and teaches dance, Yoga, meditation, Eastern philosophy, somatics, and holistic healing methods. Most recently, she was invited to develop and teach an independent study course, Embodied Practice Lab, at NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study. In 2025, she was appointed Adj Assistant Professor at CUNY-The City College of New York in the Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences Division at CWE where she specializes in teaching the arts curriculum including history, theory, and studio.

Guest artist/lecturer engagements include Harvard Graduate School of Education, University of Iowa, Marymount Manhattan College, DeSales University, College of the Holy Cross, Goldsmiths University of London (UK), and Queen Mary University of London (UK). Past faculty engagements include Steps on Broadway, American Dance Festival, Joffrey Ballet School, and Dance New Amsterdam.

TaraMarie’s expertise and writing has been published in pedagogy manuals and periodicals such as Dance Teacher Magazine, Elle, Women’s Health, Dance Magazine, Pointe Magazine, Dance Informa, The Gardan Journal, and Mind Body Brew.

PERFORMANCE
TaraMarie is currently a dance artist with Cherylyn Lavagnino Dance in NYC. In 2026, Ann Moradian for The Dance Enthusiast wrote:
“TaraMarie Perri inhabits the space with the entirety of her being, each movement committed, full, and gracious.,,What I found was a deep need for a reprieve from the world and a yearning to inhabit another universe for a while. I am grateful to TaraMarie Perri for the moments when this happened.”

Since 1990, she has performed with numerous ballet, modern, and dance theater companies in NY, PA, and MA. Her own choreography and costume designs have been critically acclaimed in The New Yorker and The Village Voice.

ART PRACTICE
TaraMarie paints, draws, takes pictures, and writes guided by improvisation and the dharma of contemplative art practices at the intersection of conscious awareness, perception, and the natural world. Her art practice is receptive to the inherent alchemy of collaborative processes in-studio, onstage and outdoors.

THERAPEUTIC PRIVATE PRACTICE
In addition to classroom and studio settings, TaraMarie maintains a private practice dedicated to one-to-one Yoga study and integrated therapeutic care for physical re-education, injury rehabilitation, chronic illness, and embodied living. She specializes in autoimmune diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, stroke and brain injuries.

On the Western side, she utilizes functional anatomy, kinesiology, movement therapy, diaphragmatic breathing coordination, medical literacy, somatic methods and integrative medicine. On the Eastern side, she draws on Yoga therapy, Pranayama, mindfulness/awareness meditation, classical and contemporary Eastern philosophy, Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Vedic and Tantric teachings, Ayurveda and hands-on healing methods including Reiki and marma point therapy.

PERRI INSTITUTE FOR MIND AND BODY
From 2009 - 2020, TaraMarie was founder and director of the NY-based Perri Institute for Mind and Body established to gather, mentor, and strengthen an international community of advisors, teachers and holistic health practitioners. Perri Institute’s research, pedagogy courses, and independent study programming established a unique educational environment integrating Eastern and Western traditions of practice and research in collaboration with the arts and sciences.

Graduates of Perri Institute currently teach and follow career paths in medicine, social work, physical therapy, childhood education, eldercare, trauma-based therapy, acupuncture, and psychology, among other fields. Institute’s Mind Body Dancer curricula have been implemented internationally in mind-body/somatic education programs, performing arts schools and college/university settings.