Thelma Larkin Goldberg PhD

Thelma started The Dance Inn in 1983 while on a leave of absence from teaching in the Boston Public Schools. Her early dance training was in Cambridge with Grace Bates and Joan O'Brien. She taught dance while earning her B.S. Ed (Lesley College) and then taught special needs students in Boston while earning her M.S. Sp.Ed (Regis College). In 2020, Thelma completed her doctoral degree in Educational Studies with an individualized concentration in tap dance education from Lesley University. 

In addition to being the Artistic Director of the performing companies of The Dance Inn, Thelma is very active in teaching tap to all levels and supervising and mentoring her staff. She is also an active participant in the local and national dance community, serving as a teacher, program coordinator, volunteer and student at dance festivals across the country, most recently at the National Dance Educators Organization (NDEO) 2023 Conference and the upcoming NDEO 2024 Conference.

Thelma has also published two articles for the Dance Education in Practice Journal and has self-published three books: Thelma’s Tap Notes Children’s Edition (2013), Tap into Life (2015), and the online book Tap into History (2023). Other products include Rhythm Cards, Classroom Worksheets, and a Tap into History poster. She continues to develop lesson plans and materials to support tap dance education for all levels. In 2021 Thelma joined the faculty at Dean College where she recently received the Dean College Teaching Excellence Award for her innovative and passionate approach to teaching tap dance.