Meet Leah LaGrange

Today we’d like to introduce you to Leah LaGrange.

Leah, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I guess you can say I became a dancer when I first learned to stand. My family always knew that’s who I would become because I not only had impeccable balance, but I was constantly dancing in front of reflective surfaces and when music started playing. I remember my very first dance recital, it was a father-daughter routine. The minute I stepped foot on that stage, the amount of sass and vigor that came out of my body was so astonishing to people, my dad was worried I would break a hip. The audience roared in laughter and applause and that’s when I knew I not only wanted to dance, but I desperately needed to share my passion with others. I continued to train and compete as a competitive dancer in my hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana. Winning all of the trophies and medals were great, but I knew something was missing. By the age of 16, I started to discover that my passion was to educate other dancers and choreograph my own work. From then on, I continued to be hired by studios, teams, schools, and colleges to teach and choreograph the youth and pre-professional levels.

After attending college, which was also in my hometown, I made the big move to Los Angeles with nothing but a car full of clothes and a dream. Not knowing a single soul in a new massive city, I had to learn how to navigate this wild industry on my own. For the past 4.5 years, I have been studying and training as a dancer and continuing to teach and choreograph for both the youth and industry professionals. I continue to travel around the nation with this work and have taught at some of the larger industry studios in LA, including Millennium Dance Complex, Debbie Reynolds Legacy Studios, and ImmaSpace. I hope for future years to continue to build my platform and travel abroad, spreading my passion for this art with others.

On top of dance, I am also a visual artist. I spent much of high school and college studying painting, drawing, design, and photography. I recently have decided to create my own business, selling and commissioning my artwork. My conceptualized work utilizes textures and movement within each piece to express the ideas of finding order amongst chaos. I like to bring awareness to the viewer that throughout your personal and societal difficulties, you are always able to acquire beauty and unity, you just have to look. A very, very recent path I have decided to travel down is photography. I am currently in the process of building my brand within that field and I am very excited about this new endeavor. People may think I am crazy to take on so much, but I say, “Bring it on!” If not now, then when?

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
My path was not an easy one. I didn’t grow up in the best financial situation. My dad was in a terrible accident when I was young, leaving my mother financially responsible for raising four kids on a school teacher salary. It was tough and we had to make a lot of sacrifices, but my parents did everything they could to encourage me and my siblings to pursue our passions and to never let hardships hinder us. They taught me that there is always a way, you just have to fight like hell to make it happen. They are the number one reason why I am still fighting the good fight and leading a life of happiness and light. I will never be able to thank them enough for being the rockstars I needed. Although I have always had that “go get em” attitude, the lack of funds always makes life that much more difficult, especially when moving to such a large city on your own. Which leads me to probably the next biggest struggle I’ve faced.

When I say I didn’t know anyone in Los Angeles, much less in the dance Industry, I mean I didn’t know a single soul. I was just a small town, country girl who had to learn to make her own connections, form her own family, and create a platform for herself, by herself. And let me tell you, I used to be a very shy, awkward human being! People wouldn’t believe me now, but I had terrible social anxiety my entire life. So this thrust into an uncomfortable life change was probably the best thing I could have done for myself. I’ve never been the person to have connections here, or a family friend who could get me the job there, or been in the right place at the right time and was offered a hand-out. Everything I have become and created for myself was 100% on my own and I like it that way. Trust me, it gets infuriating in an industry that is so cut-throat, but at least I know I landed the job or gained the clientele by simply my work ethic and personality. Booking as a professional dancer and choreographer in Los Angeles was probably one of the most difficult career-choices I could have possibly chosen. It is unfair, it is demeaning, it is a “don’t get much in return” type of career. I am often overlooked because of my body image or not playing the game the way everyone else does. But at the end of the day, I am marching to the beat of my own drum and you can either join me or leave me be!

Please tell us about your work.
I am a dance educator and choreographer. I specialize mostly in contemporary dance, as well as jazz and jazz funk. I like to take my training and knowledge that I have gained over the course of my entire life, especially through jobs Ive worked as a dancer and being a part of a company called Mashup Contemporary Dance Company, which is an all-female group of dancers. I train industry professionals but find myself always navigating towards children. I love how vulnerable, lively, and un-tainted they are. I am able to form them into not only well-trained dancers but decent human beings. Often times, I find educators diminishing a child’s light because they weren’t talented enough. And in reality, the world doesn’t offer gold medals to everyone. However, I want to be that educator who teaches a child the reality of this industry while encouraging them to not give a rats booty about it. Being passionate about something isn’t always rainbows and butterflies, but you have to create those magical things from the dirt you are given. Through my teachings, I encourage dancers to be loving and accepting of themselves, grateful to the earth, and affectionate towards others. Every human, especially artists, struggle with thoughts of self-doubt. If I changed one person’s life that day, then I am completely happy.

As far as choreography goes, I am constantly figuring out what makes my work specific to me. It is fun figuring out my niches as I go. I will tell you this though, my work is very athletic and very empowering. I want my dancers to feel like the superhero they are and for the viewer to be inspired to do the same.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
This may sound very lame, but I am grateful for the mistakes I’ve made and the process it has taken me to get here. I used to have regrets and wishes that I did or didn’t do particular things but that mindset ended up drowning me. But if I had to choose, I guess I would lose my social anxieties earlier on, be less afraid to take chances, and stop making excuses for myself. It is easy to pass the blame on things that are out of your control. I wish I had realized that sooner. I am finally reaching a place in my life where I am shifting my energy into things that are actually working out for me instead of beating a dead horse because I thought it was what I needed. I also wish I wouldn’t have put so much of my happiness in the hands of other people, jobs, my career. I used to think that my outside influences were what I needed to be happy, but I think that is a lesson everyone learns throughout their life. I am still so young and have so much future ahead of me so I don’t have time to look back and worry about what I should have done differently. Only moving forward! Doing my best, loving the most, and making sure I leave this earth knowing I fulfilled my purpose.

Contact Info:

• Instagram:
  Dance: @leahalyse33 #LagrangeChoreography
  Art: @upon.layers
  Photography: @leahlagrangephoto
• Email: [email protected]

Image Credit:
Taylor Brielle, Alex Cole

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