Advanced Companies

Lawrence Ballet Theatre
Cynthia Crews, Artistic Director

The Lawrence Ballet Theatre is a pre-professional ballet company at the Lawrence Arts Center. Its mission is to provide training and performing opportunities to serious students who are seeking a collegiate or professional career in the field of dance and to provide high quality, rich dance experiences for audiences in Lawrence and the region. Company members are selected at an annual audition. Participation in the company helps prepare students for the demands of a collegiate or professional career in dance by learning classical and original choreography appropriate for the advanced student. The company works to complement and encourage the passion the advanced student has for the art of dance.

Currently scheduled performances for 2011-2012:

  • Choreographers Festival and Showcase (February 23-25th)
  • Company performance (April 29-30th)
  • Smaller performances at events in Lawrence including Final Fridays (TBA)
  • Non-performance participation at KU Dance Day
  • Lawrence Arts Center Dance Gala 2012 (May 13-14)

LAWRENCE ARTS CENTER’S LAWRENCE BALLET THEATRE GAINS NATIONAL RECOGNITION WITH ACCEPTANCE INTO REGIONAL DANCE AMERICA - MID STATES

The Lawrence Arts Center is proud to announce that The Lawrence Ballet Theatre has been chosen as a new member of Regional Dance America, an organization dedicated to promoting the artistic development of regional dance companies throughout the United States.

The Lawrence Ballet Theatre is a pre-professional ballet company at the Lawrence Arts Center under the Artistic Direction of Cynthia Crews. Current dancers include: Emma Davison, Olivia Fox, Adriana Gramley, Helen Hawkins, Clarate Heckler, Sophie Laufer, Shelby Steichen, Sophia Von Feldt and Devany West.

The mission of the Lawrence Ballet Theatre is to provide training and performance opportunities for serious students who are seeking a collegiate or professional career in the field of dance, and to provide high quality, rich dance experiences for audiences in Lawrence and beyond. The company’s acceptance into Regional Dance America will provide unique opportunities for the Lawrence company, including taking classes from outstanding dance professionals and participating in the 2012 Festival de Danse that will be held in Montreal, Canada this May.




Advanced Jazz Ensemble
Brandi Green, Artistic Director

The Jazz Performance Ensemble was created to provide more opportunities for advanced jazz students to perform a repertoire of choreography, expressing the eclectic styles of jazz dance through the use of diverse music, props and costumes. The jazz dance styles explored include traditional Fosse technique, lyrical & modern jazz, hip-hop, & generational styled movement. With a new artistic director traditional jazz styles, along with a knowledge of the newest happenings in the jazz scene will be stressed. Company members are selected at an annual audition. Participation in the company helps students enhance their technical skills and grow as performers as they pursue the dynamics and subtleties of jazz. Auditions this year are August 20, 2011.

Currently scheduled performances for 2011-2012

  • Choreographers Festival and Showcase (February 23-25th)
  • Company performance (April 29-30th)
  • Smaller performances at events in Lawrence, including Final Fridays (TBA)
  • Lawrence Arts Center Dance Gala 2012 (May 13-14)