Lara Yuan '10

Artistic Director

Lara hails a little from everywhere. Born and pretty much raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, high-schooled in the OC, California and now calling Queens, New York her home, she's got a little taste of all parts. Her love of dance started while sitting in a stroller, watching a ballet class of the local professional company. She tried to re-enact the beautiful and graceful movements without success until finally she was just tall enough to reach the barre and start her first ballet classes.

Since then, she has branched out into other styles including Chinese traditional, lyrical jazz, character, and modern. She has danced in productions large and small and has had a chance to dance for the 2002 Olympics and with the very company that inspired her, Ballet West of Utah. Dance has  been with her all her life; through her awkwardly tall and gangly phases, and has lived in her heart when family issues and tendonitis kept her away from it. She can never stay away for long before the marley floors call her back and she is so thrilled that the most recent call after her longest hiatus (3 years) from dance has led her to eXpressions. The time spent living, loving and dancing with these wonderful girls has truly kept her sane. She looks forward to many more incredible eXperiences with these amazingly talented people!

(photo by Matt Tilghman)