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Mary Lynn Baum
When Mary Lynn started dancing at age five to correct her pigeon-toed feet, little did she know it would become a passion for the rest of her life. During high school, she was a soloist with the Montgomery Civic Ballet. She also became involved with the Montgomery Little Theatre, for which she eventually choreographed musicals - The Sound of Music, South Pacific, and My Fair Lady. Mary Lynn continued her ballet training while at Sarah Lawrence College in New York, studying with Marie Adair, a former dancer with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, who encouraged her to consider teaching. Moving to Vancouver in 1970 for graduate school (in medieval literature), Mary Lynn took classes with Maria Lewis and was invited to join her staff. She taught at Pacific Ballet Theatre School for fifteen years, specializing in giving young ballet students careful training and a love of movement. During that time she also served as artistic coordinator with Pacific Ballet Theatre, the forerunner of Ballet BC.
Mary Lynn eventually left teaching to pursue other interests, but she continued to take ballet classes for as long as her body would allow. When too many plies finally caught up with her, Mary Lynn searched for a new way to keep dancing. Happily, she discovered Razzmatap! She loves the mental challenge of tap, and she adores working with this group of wonderful women. Many thanks to Jan for her amazing creativity, humor, and forbearance!