Tamaira Wilder grew up in several different places, though she spent most of her childhood in Maryland, and now lives in Manassas, Virginia. She earned her BFA in Dance with a Contemporary Concentration from the University of South Florida, where she developed a strong foundation in both performance and choreography.

Tamaira's teaching experience began during her senior year of college through a pedagogy internship, where she taught dance to students at a performing arts high school. She has also taught summer dance camps, as well as adult ballet and contemporary classes, and is passionate about creating an engaging and encouraging classroom for dancers of all ages.

She began dancing at the age of ten at Delaware Arts Conservatory, training in ballet, contemporary, modern, jazz, and lyrical while performing with the studio's Ballet and Contemporary Companies. At the University of South Florida, Tamaira performed in numerous faculty and guest artist works, including choreography by Jeanne Travers, Michael Foley, Sadie Lehmker, Andee Scott, and Ben Hartley. She also performed in annual Senior BFA Showcases, studied abroad through USF's Dance in Paris program, and choreographed and presented her own concert works during her senior year.

This year, Tamaira will be teaching at both DAV locations in the Little Dancer, Youth, and Academy Programs. In her classes, dancers can expect to challenge themselves while enjoying every moment to the fullest. Her advice for the year ahead is: Rather than comparing yourself to others, use watching your peers as a source of motivation and inspiration.