Profile
Lauren Atkins De Veaux grew up in Chattanooga, TN , where her journey into the world of dance began at the Severance Studios at the age of 5. Her fervor for dance increased under the tutelage of Anna and Barry Van Cura at the Baker-Van Cura Ballet Centre where her knowledge base grew to include the styles and influences of artists such as Joel Hall (Joel Hall Dancers, in Chicago, IL), Birute Barodicaite (Hubbard Street Dance Chicago), and Ron Cunningham (Artistic Director of Sacramento Ballet.) She began dancing with the professional company Ballet Tennessee at the age of 14, and shortly thereafter her teachers encouraged her to continue her professional training at the Alabama School of Fine Arts in Birmingham, AL. There she was directed by Dame Sonia Arova (a frequent partner of Rudolph Nureyev) and Thor Sutowski. Lauren also performed with the professional company, Alabama Ballet, until graduating high school.
After more than a decade of performing classical ballets, including everything from “Swan Lake” to “La Bayadere”, Lauren chose to widen her field of creative talents. She went on to attend Howard University, in Washington, DC, during which time she traveled to work for Intel Corporation in Santa Clara,CA, received a first place award for her Senior Electrical Engineering Design from Howard University, and obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering; but she couldn’t stop thinking about dance. She soon met the amazing and inspiring Madame Kadiatou Conte-Forte of Guinea, West Africa. Her fire for dance was lit once again, and now African dance inspired her to share her voice, technical proficiency, and spirit for dance in a new and different way.
In moving to New York to further her career in dance, Lauren has had the privilege of working with many contemporary dance choreographers and companies at the top of the industry: George Faison, Abdel R. Salaam of Forces of Nature Dance Theatre, Ronald K. Brown/Evidence, Nathan Trice, Obediah Wright, Kwame Ross (former Associate Director of Urban Bush Women), Creative Outlet Dance Theatre of Brooklyn, Whitney Hunter, Asase Yaa African American Dance Theatre, and Purelements.
Lauren recently journeyed to Guinea for a month with her “Dance Mother,” Kadiatou, to study dance, drumming, culture, and history, and to create a cultural exchange program. Lauren teaches and choreographs West African dance and contemporary dance movement combining ballet, Graham & Horton modern dance techniques, and ‘House’ dance movement. She’s found her movement to be exhilarating, organic, soulful, and deeply, emotionally moving.
Lauren feels moved to bring to the stage the many examples of LOVE she has experienced in her life. She lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband, Charles and two cats: Stripes and Eyelash.
Live Life to the Fullest. Always.