Lauren began dancing at the age of five in Yorkville, Illinois at a local dance studio. For her junior and senior year of high school, Lauren trained at Allegro Performing Arts, where she was a member of their pre-professional ballet company. Under the direction of Heather Sheppard, she performed famous ballets, including The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Stars and Stripes, and Giselle, as well as original works by Heather Sheppard and Angie Keneipp. In The Nutcracker, she had the opportunity to perform the leads in Arabian, Spanish, Snow Waltz, and Waltz of the Flowers, as well as Marzipan, and corps roles. Lauren was the lead role in Giselle. From a young age, she was a member of her church’s Sacred Dance group, performing and choreographing pieces for the congregation for various holiday and special services.

On the collegiate level, Lauren attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to pursue a BFA in dance performance. Here, she trained under Simone Ferro and the dance department instructors, as well as several guest artists. In addition to participating in senior capstone projects, spring shows, and an African dance showcase, she had the opportunity to work with the Gina Laurenzi Dance Project to perform an original work by Gina Laurenzi for Danceworks’ “Get It Out There” show. While in Milwaukee, Lauren attended the Milwaukee Ballet Summer Intensive in 2018.

After two years at UW-Milwaukee, Lauren accepted an apprenticeship with Magnum Opus, moved to Madison, and transferred to online schooling through the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. She changed her degree and in 2022 graduated Summa Cum Laude with a focus in Arts Management. Lauren was promoted to Company Artist during the 2020/2021 season and has enjoyed performing original works set by Abigail Henninger and various guest artists since joining in 2019.

In addition to dancing professionally, and teaching at A Leap Above, Lauren is an instructor at Magnum Opus School of the Arts, where she is also the School Manager. She has taught ballet, pointe, and jazz at Summer Dance Intensive since it began in 2023.

Favorite Things: photography, sunsets, dessert, giraffes, and all things Disney!