Carlson was born in Park Ridge, Illinois.Benbow-Pfalzgraf, Taryn. International Dictionary of Modern Dance. (Detroit, MI: St. James Press, 1998), p. 106–108. She graduated magna cum laude with a BFA in modern dance from the University of Utah in 1976. In 1983 she became one of the first students of the University of Arizona to earn a graduate degree in dance.Harris, William. "DANCE; On a Tour of Tableaus, You Move, They Don't." The New York Times. 14 May 2000. Section 2; Page 46. University of Texas Lib., Austin, TX. 24 March 2008. LexisNexis Even though Carlson received extensive dance training as a child, she defined dance as "any conscious movement in time and space". Carlson came to this conclusion when she was 12 years old after attending a lecture and demonstration by Murray Louis at the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art. Because of her broad view of dance, Carlson often tackles important issues in her work and works within a number of disciplines to respond to ideas, concepts and themes. As a result, Carlson takes her work far beyond the confines of traditional "dance" into a realm that could be called performance art.
