Lauren Buford was introduced to dance at the age of six at Mayfair Performing Arts, where she began her training in ballet, jazz, hip hop, and tap. At age eight, she furthered her studies at the Chicago Multicultural Dance Center under the direction of Homer Hans Bryant. There, she received intensive training in classical ballet, modern, contemporary, jazz, African, and tap, as well as Hiplet—a signature fusion of ballet and hip-hop created by Bryant.

 

Lauren has performed in numerous productions and had the honor of competing at Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP), where she was awarded a six-week summer intensive scholarship to The Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia. Following her time at The Rock School, she continued her ballet training with Steven Norman at The Chicago Ballet School, dancing in classical variations and performing in full-length productions such as The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty.

 

Now at 16, Lauren has joined Visceral Dance Chicago’s program, where she trains under Nick Pupillo. She is excited to continue growing as an artist and is eager to embrace the next chapter in her dance journey.