Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauryn Piper.
Hi Lauryn, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started dancing in Omaha, Nebraska where I grew up. I danced on the Millard North Dance Team and also at my competition studio named Kitty Lee. I grew up a contemporary and tap dancer. Once I graduated high school I moved out to Los Angeles at 18 and attended Hussian College in Studio. My freshman year of college I actually ended up tearing my ACL at an agency audition my school held for us. This minor setback gave me a large reward in the end. I was able to get all of my general education classes done and graduated in three years from my university and was also Valedictorian of my class which I got to share with one of my good friends. Following graduation, I worked on music videos with Da Baby and JoJo Siwa and also accepted a performance contract with RWS Entertainment. I later got signed by my current agency, MSA which was actually the agency I had been injured auditioning for back in 2018 which was a full circle moment for me as a dancer. I recently moved to Las Vegas, NV in hopes to continue my dance journey and connections out here and hope to land a residency in the coming year.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I would say that one of my biggest struggles and rewards was my injury so early on in my career. I like to think that I got it out of the way early and that I hopefully would never have to experience something like that again. This industry can be very difficult but is also very rewarding to be able to make a career out of doing what you love.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
In the dance industry, I mostly specialize in hip hop these days, which is very interesting for me because I only started doing hip hop when I moved to LA in 2018 and have no previous experience in it. I love contemporary so much and it holds a special place in my heart; I wish it was a larger part of this industry. I am currently in a lovely company called HMG the company, owned by Hannah Gallagher. She is absolutely incredible and me and my amazingly talented cast mates will be hosting a show on March 14th at the Stomping Ground LA. Luckily in places in LA and Vegas, there is so much opportunity to experience different jobs and so many incredible artists to train and learn from.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I think the biggest risk you can take as an artist is actually pursuing it as a career. Your success in this industry is solely up to you and the connections you make, the people you train under, and ultimately, if you are right for the job or not. It is so important to be a risk taker and be able to do what you need to do to position yourself for change and success.
The biggest risk I probably took was moving away from my family at 18 to go live somewhere where I knew nobody. Then to experienced another change this year at 23 when I chose to move to Las Vegas. I think you have to be willing to change and be so adaptable as a person and an artist and listen to where the career is taking you. Regardless if you are where you want to be or not yet, it is important to remind yourself that everyone is on a different journey and that there is enough room for everyone in this industry.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurynpiper_/
Image Credits
Lindsay Rose Photography
