Diane Laizer Carney

Diane Laizer Carney, 84, peacefully passed on September 11th, 2022.

Ms. Carney was a New Orleans native that spent her life dancing, choregraphing and teaching. Diane received her MFA in theater and a MSW in social work from Tulane University. Her cherished mentors were Jay Kleindorf, Bob Fleshman and Maestro Vincenzo Celli who was the student of Enrico Cecchetti. Diane had extensive experience in acting, dancing, and choreographing for commercial theater, television, and motion pictures. Ms. Carney has taught theater classes at Tulane University, Loyola University and Delgado Junior College. She has choreographed and designed productions for Tulane Opera Theater and Summer Lyric Theater, UNO Theater, Le Petit Theater, Dashiki Theater and Jefferson Performing Arts Society.

Ms. Carney was the Founder and Director of the York County Youth Ballet and received grants from Pratt and Whitney Aircraft Group of United technologies and the Maine Commission of the Arts and Humanities for a two-year touring program of Maine. She has received certificates of recognition from Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Maine for her artistic direction of the Nutcracker. For many years she was the Associate Artistic Director of Ballet Hysell and Director of Ballet Hysell School before becoming Artistic Director of Ballet Hysell. She worked closely with Harvey Hysell until his death in 2008. In 2015 she was honored by the Big Easy Foundation with the Lifetime Achievement Award for the Classical Arts as well as Outstanding Ballet Presentation in 2014.

Miss Carney is survived by her son Ian Carney of New Orleans, her stepson Devon Carney of Kansas City and stepdaughter Regan of Bay St Louis.

The family will receive friends Saturday November 5th, 2022 for a visitation at 1:00 pm with a service at 1:30 pm at Jacob Schoen & Son, 3827 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70119. A Celebration of Life will follow the service until 5:00 pm.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Diane Laizer Carney, please visit our floral store.