The Fort Wayne Youtheatre's mission is to educate, engage, and entertain regional youth and families through theatre arts.
Call for Support: (260) 422-6900
Our Location: 2426 Lake Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46805
Email Now: [email protected]
YARO CARPENTER began working with Fort Wayne Youtheatre as a contracted dance instructor. She quickly realized that their mission aligned with her own: “To empower youth through performing arts.” Yaro spent her youth acting in a drama club, dancing, singing in a choir, and participating in Missoula Children’s Theatre.
As a teen, her passion for the performing arts became focused on dance. She began teaching at age 15 and also started a performing dance troupe at that time. Upon graduating, she traveled abroad, performing theatre and teaching dance in Mexico, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Upon returning home to Oregon, she opened a dance studio with a focus on making dance accessible to all.
Since moving to Fort Wayne in 2014, Yaro has been deeply involved in the local arts scene. She has served as an assistant director for school plays and has taught musical theatre and dance for various classes and camps. A company member of the Fort Wayne Dance Collective since 2018, Yaro has choreographed and/or performed in numerous annual productions, including their professional company show, Collective Expressions, the annual Choreographers’ Lab, Holiday Pops, the annual Halloween Show, and collaborations with Dancing Wheels Company (Cleveland, OH) and Three Rivers Musical Theatre’s Matters of the Heart. She teaches a variety of dance classes at FWDC’s downtown facility, as well as through their partnerships with many regional schools and organizations.
Additionally, Yaro specializes in Dance for Diverse Abilities and at-risk youth, working with organizations such as GiGi’s Playhouse, Turnstone, Great Heights ABA, and Parkview Behavioral Health, among others. In 2023, she was nominated for an Arts United award for her work with people with disabilities.
Yaro achieved a lifelong dream in 2024 by starring in CATS the Musical with Three Rivers Musical Theatre and the Fort Wayne Dance Collective. She holds certifications in the Dancing Wheels Method, Rhythm Works Integrative Dance, and Kidding Around Yoga. When she is not engaged in the performing arts, she enjoys spending time outdoors and traveling with her four children.