“Plie is your friend,” jokes Lauren. And it certainly is Lauren’s friend, too! Beginning this fall, Lauren Smith will create
lifelong friendships between Festival Dance students and the plie when she is
the head instructor for the Young Dancer’s Program. Lauren would like to let her future students
know that, “Each and every dancer has something special, and I
can't wait to discover what makes each of you shine. Never let an opportunity
to dance pass you by.”
Lauren began dancing
in 2nd grade at a studio in Newman Lake, Washington, mostly focusing
on jazz, musical theatre, and lyrical.
Lyrical was her favorite because it was “strong” and “powerful” and she
could make it her own. However, in 6th
grade Lauren started taking classes in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, too, and fell in
love with ballet. She’s been doing rond
de jambe en l’air and circular port de bras ever since then. Lauren has won numerous dance awards,
including the Idaho Distinguished Young Woman Talent Scholarship, and performed
in numerous shows, such as “Don Quixote”
and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. She is most proud of her dance experience training
with the Long Beach Ballet and then touring around China for three weeks. The tour company of 25 to 30 dancers even
performed in Beijing.
Lauren is currently finishing her
first year at the University of Idaho. Her
favorite classes have been Diedre Sakota’s jazz class and Mia Seshiki’s ballet
class. When Lauren is not busy working
towards her degrees in Dance and Exercise Science and Health, she likes
to spend her time running, cooking, and traveling. After Lauren graduates from UI, she plans to continue
her education and eventually become a physical therapist for a dance company on
the West Coast. She will of course keep
dancing! Lauren would love the
opportunity to do the aerial work in Cirque Du Soleil.
Don’t miss Lauren’s upcoming performance as the lead
principal in the Ballet School of Coeur D’Alene’s performance of “Giselle” this spring at the North Idaho
College Auditorium. For more
information, please visit their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ballet-School-of-Coeur-dAlene/163421170388886.
We look forward to seeing you all there!
