Originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Donna Jo Harkrider began her dance training at 3 years of age and has since studied at various local studios in the forms of tap, jazz, modern, ballet, and hip-hop. In high school, she danced competitively on her high school dance team where she began to develop her choreographic techniques. Donna Jo then came to Lawrence, Kansas to pursue a B.F.A. degree in Dance, where she refined her skills in ballet, modern and jazz dance and discovered her passion for choreography and the creative process. After graduating from KU, she began teaching at the Lawrence Arts Center in tap, ballet, jazz, and modern.