Originally from the central Illinois area, Lauren is an accomplished dancer, choreographer and instructor. She began her dancing career at the age of 7 studying ballet, tap, jazz, modern and contemporary. Lauren has had the pleasure of training under multiple legendary dance masters of our era including Jason Samuels Smith, Dianne Walker, Lane Alexander, Jason Janas, Chloe Arnold, Dormeshia Sumbery-Edwards, Sam Weber, Professor Robert L. Reed, Bril Barrett and Tokyo Kevin Inouye. Furthermore, Lauren has trained extensively under Julie Cartier, Nico Rubio and Martin “Tre” Dumas; three of Chicago’s most sought-after tap instructors/choreographers. As a former competitive dancer, Lauren was continually awarded many regional and national titles as well as scholarships. One of which landed her dancing at New World Stages in New York City in Mike Minery’s off Broadway Tap Production of Slide. She was also granted a Leo Harris Tap Scholarship from the Chicago Human Rhythm Project: the oldest and most comprehensive annual tap festival in the world.Lauren started teaching and choreographing at age 15 and from the beginning her students were acknowledged regionally and nationally throughout the Midwest. She has received numerous choreography awards and has been recognized for having the highest scoring group piece of the entire event on several occasions. Lauren has performed in 2 NCAA College Bowl halftime shows and most recently was given the opportunity to perform during 2 of the All That Tap concerts at the conclusion of the St. Louis Tap Festival. Her students and choreography have also been showcased during The Big Apple Tap Festival in New York City and the Motor City Tap Fest in Detroit, Michigan. In addition, Lauren was a tap instructor with Edge National Talent Competition and is currently a member of the Detroit Tap Repertory. Lauren has also been a part of the Phoenix, Arizona based tap company Tap 24.7 produced by Suzy Guarino-Hall.Lauren is a graduate of Western Illinois University with a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcasting with a minor in Dance. She is co-owner of Project Dance Company of Macomb, Illinois. She also is known for her photography and taking photographs for her work on the side. Lauren’s diverse and energetic style of teaching continues to inspire her students to embrace all forms of dance and appreciate its rich history and cultures.