Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauryn Piper.
Lauryn, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I have been dancing since I was three years old and have grown up dancing in Omaha, Nebraska. I attended studios around Nebraska like Kitty Lee and Nebraska dance and have received most of my dance teaching from the incredible teachers there. Around the time I was 14, I started being mentored in hip hop by Jalen Turner, assisting hip hop classes at The Next Step dance studio. This is where I found my love for hip hop and started my journey to Los Angeles I attended Millard North High School and was coached by two of the most amazing women Andrea Feltz and Mila Obrien, which is where I learned my dedication to dance and how dance influences the way you feel when you get to compete with your friends. After four years of competing at Nationals at ESPN in Orlando, Florida I graduated school and committed to my dream college, Studio School Los Angeles. In August of 2018, I moved out to Los Angeles to pursue my career in dance. School was going well, and in October 2018, I was at an audition for MSA and I tore my ACL, MCL, and meniscus. The whole next year, I spent focusing on my recovery while taking general education and acting classes. The harder I pushed myself during recovery and focusing on physical therapy, the more prepared I would be for the next school year.
In 2019, I returned to school fully recovered as a dancer and ready to challenge myself. Our incredible faculty at school consists of teachers such as Joe Brown, Ambrose Respicio, Britt Stewart and many more. In November, I got my first performance opportunity performing with Marvin Browning (DJ Marv) at Club Jete. In February, I got the opportunity to perform with Alvin de Castro at the Choreographers Carnival, and I couldn’t be more grateful. Through training, I have met so many incredible people and been a part of so many incredible things. Thanks to Nick Gonzales, I will be attending The Next Move convention known as The Mind Lab this July and I could not be more excited. The friendships I have made while in Los Angeles have changed who I am and I will be come forever.
Has it been a smooth road?
One of my biggest struggles while in Los Angeles was tearing my ACL and having to deal with it alone without my parents. My parents are my biggest supporters and not being able to have them there while going through probably the roughest time of my life was one of my biggest struggles. After tearing it in October, I had to attend many doctor’s appointments alone without knowing the outcome. Thankfully I got to come home in December to have my surgery and start my recovery with my therapist, Kurtis Keller, before starting the next semester at school. By preparing my body for surgery and starting therapy before, my recovery process was a lot faster than most and was off crutches by two weeks post-operation.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
In Los Angeles, I specialize in dance and choreography. Summer of 2019, I had the opportunity to choreograph my first group piece and solo for my incredible coaches, Mila and Andreas, new studio back home called No Limits Dance Studio. My favorite style of dance is probably hip hop and it is something I aspire to train in continuously. One of my favorite hip hop dancers in LA is Delaney Glazer. I have also been training in contemporary, not because of the industry because I believe it is a release of who you are and what you can show emotionally through your dancing. Two of my favorite contemporary choreographers are Rudy Abreu and Nick Lanzisera. I train at studios in Hollywood like Millenium, Playground, and Edge, but most of my training is done through school. Through school, I am offered acting, dance, and film classes so I get a little taste of the industry in all aspects. Since my school is located on Los Angeles Center Studios, I get a lot of exposure to the professionalism it takes to be in the industry and all the work that gets put behind each show, movie, or commercial.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Los Angeles is the perfect place for this kind of career because of all the exposure and audition opportunities. Specifically, LA is perfect for me because I am more hip hop and contemporary based while New York is more musical theatre based. For someone just starting out in Los Angeles as a dancer, I recommend to take everything at your own pace because everyone’s path is different and your path is made for you. Look for the right people to train from, not just the most popular class that people take. Also, don’t take class just to get a video for Instagram, take class to better yourself and grow for yourself. Be confident in your self and your process and don’t compare yourself to others or the city will break you, just believe that you can and you will.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 4023127812
- Instagram: laurynpiper_
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