Mary Waugh Taylor was born on October 13, 1956 in Okoboji, Iowa, a young girl in love with ballet. In many ways, Mary exemplifies the qualities of a true feminist hero by "doing it all," and fighting against societal restrictions that might have hampered her passions. While in high school, Mary was offered a scholarship to attend the Royal Academy of Ballet in London, which she couldn't accept due to a bad car accident. Eventually, she earned her BFA in dance at the University of Utah and danced with Ballet West, Utah's premier ballet company. In 1986, Taylor and her family moved to Omaha where she taught classes in ballet, jazz, and modern at UNO as well as at the Omaha Academy of Ballet. Within the last few years, Mary served as choreographer in residence at The Moving Company at UNO. On June 25, 2010, Mary passed away after a battle with cancer.