Bio
Lauren Willmann started dancing at the age of 12 years old and fell in love. She immediately started taking all styles of dance and never stopped. Her serious dance training began as a part of the International Conservatory of Performing Arts Pre-Professional Company under the direction of Geralyn Del Corso Gardner and Jamie Thompson. They focused heavily on classical Ballet and Afro-Caribbean Contemporary Ballet.
Lauren is a proud graduate of Oklahoma City University where she obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Dance Pedagogy (American Dance Teacher) with a minor in Mass Communications. She spent all four years of college performing as a member of the American Spirit Dance Company under the direction of Jo Rowan. The classes she most enjoyed were Ballet, Tap, and Jazz Pedagogy, Dance History I and II, Teaching Strategies, and Choreography Theory. After graduating, Lauren became member of Urban Performing Company in Dallas TX, under the direction of Stevo McMaryion, performing Jazz, Jazz Funk, Lyrical, and Contemporary. Since relocating to Chicago, she now performs a member of Hip Hop ConnXion HQ under the direction of Suavé. She actively trains in Ballet, Modern (Horton), Contemporary, and Jazz with Chicago Movement Collective under the direction of Ethan Kirschbaum as a Claire Bataille Scholarship recipient. Additionally, she is a member of the Chicago Honey Taps!
She loves performing, but another passion is teaching all kinds of dance to all ages! Lauren was the Performance Team director at McKinney Dance Studio. Simultaneously teaching at Frisco Dance Studio, Allen Dance Studio, and Live Arts Conservatory. Classes taught include creative movement, pre combination classes, Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical, Hip Hop, and Musical Theater to various ages and levels. She now teaches at numerous studios across the Chicagoland area including Synergy Dance Academy and Studio North Academy for the Performing Arts (SNAP). Lauren also currently tours as an assistant teacher with the in studio conventions: Manhattan Dance Project, owned by Bill Hotaling, and the ConnXion Experience, owned by Suavé.
Movement has always been the primary emotional outlet for Lauren, and she hopes to enable artists of all ages to express themselves fully in a safe and supportive environment. Lauren has a goal to make students feel confident and capable to use movement in a communicative, expressive way. She emphasizes connecting music to feelings to movements in her classes. She also integrates teaching life values in the classroom such as respect, inclusivity, courage, love, and open mindedness. Her number one priority is safety in the classroom, followed closely by instilling a love for dance within each and every student.
Lauren is a primary model and assistant for Nino G Photography. In Dallas she modeled for Modish & Swank Clothing L.L.C. and was a freelance model for Astarte Talent & Entertainment Agency. She was also a model at the 2023 Pas De Deux Dance Photography Conference in Chicago which inspired her move in 2024!