Ms McArthur has over 30 years of teaching with experience and versatility in teaching many forms of dance. Her range of expertise includes modern, ballet, jazz, tap, ballroom, Latin, creative preschool movement, improvisation, and body conditioning. She taught dance for 17 years for the musical theater department at Drake University; and has also taught for Penn State University and Iowa State University. For over a decade she was the Associate Director for the School of Classical Ballet & Dance and has taught for other schools: Vine Street Ballet, Ballet Iowa, The Dance Place, Central Iowa Dance Central Pennsylvania Dance Workshop, Edmunds Art Academy and Co Motion Dance Theatre. She has worked extensively as an artist in residence within the public schools 



Paula is a founding member of "Hurley and Dancers" amd continues to perform for them along with choreographer Ken James (Fellow Travelers Group). DanzArts is proud to be the rehearsal home for these Iowa based companies. Additional companies she has worked for: Pennsylvania Dance Theater, Sandance, Neuman Project and choreographer Shawn Womack



Ms McArthur began her professional carrer in ballet, performing with the Des Moines Ballet. she also trained at the Joffrey Ballet School in NYC and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School in Canada . Ms McArthur earned her BFA from ISU where she turned her attention to modern dance. She was honored with both the Anna R. Toman and Charlotte Wilkason awards from ISU. She continued her study at the Bates Dance festivals, Doug  Varone intensives and summer programs at NYU. Since becoming a modern dancer she has worked, trained and/or performed for such choreographers and companies as Bill T. Jones, Bill Young, Doug Elkins, Doug Varone, David Dorfmann, Claire Porter, Kathleen Hermsdorf, Michael Foley, Tony Coray, Kevin Wynn, Ben Munisteri, Joanna Mendl Shaw, Ron K. Brown, Rennie Harris, Larry Keigwin and jazz with Cathy Young.