Mary Martha Lappe
Mary Martha Lappe is well known in Houston as a founder of Houston's internationally renowned High School for the Performing & Visual Arts, where she chaired the Department of Dance for 25 years.
Prior to HSPVA, she chaired dance departments at James Madison University in Virginia and Louisiana State University. She also ran the dance division here at U of H, prior to my predecessor Joanna Friesen.
In 1971, she authored and implemented the first dance curriculum for Texas public schools. Mrs. Lappe has been named Houston's "Teacher of the Year," and has been honored in the nation's capitol on four occasions as a "Presidential Distinguished Teacher" by Presidents Ronald Reagan, George Bush, and William Clinton. In 1994, she was named the "National Distinguished Teacher of the Arts."
She is currently HSPVA's Director of Development, and in her spare time, she teaches ballroom dance for several international cruise lines.
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