Jennifer Lauren is an American

prima ballerina A ballet dancer is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet. They rely on years of extensive training and proper technique to become a part of a professional ballet company. Ballet dancers ...

, artist, choreographer, rehearsal coach and dance instructor. She was a principal dancer at

Miami City Ballet Miami City Ballet is an American ballet company based in Miami Beach, Florida, led by artistic director Gonzalo Garcia. MCB was founded in 1985 by Toby Lerner Ansin, a Miami philanthropist. Ansin and the founding board hired Edward Villella ...

and retired from dancing professionally in December 2024. Lauren danced as Odette/Odile in

Alexei Ratmansky Alexei Osipovich Ratmansky (, born August 27, 1968) is a Russian-Ukrainian-American choreographer and former ballet dancer. From 2004 to 2008 he was the director of the Moscow Bolshoi Ballet. He left Russia in 2008. In 2009 he was appointed the ar ...

's North American premiere of Swan Lake, and originated roles in Alexei Ratmansky's ''The Fairy's Kiss'' and ''Symphonic Dances'';

Justin Peck Justin Peck (born September 8, 1987) is an American choreographer, director, and dancer associated with New York City Ballet, of which he was appointed Resident Choreographer in July 2014, being the second person in the history of the instituti ...

's ''Heatscape'';

Liam Scarlett Liam Scarlett (8 April 198616 April 2021) was a British choreographer who was an artist in residence with The Royal Ballet and artistic associate with Queensland Ballet. He also choreographed new works for Ballet Black, Miami City Ballet, No ...

's, ''Viscera'';

Pontus Lidberg Pontus Karl Johan Lidberg is a Swedish born choreographer, dancer and filmmaker. Early life and education Born in Stockholm, Sweden to psychiatrist Lars Lidberg and psychologist Yvonne Lidberg, Lidberg began classical ballet training at the ...

's ''Petrichor'', among many others. Lauren choreographed, ''Tchavolo Swing'' which was performed March 18, 2024, in collaboration with

New World Symphony New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 19 ...

Fellows.

Early life and training

Lauren was born in

Tuscaloosa, Alabama Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal Plain, Gulf Coastal and Piedmont (United States), Piedm ...

. Lauren's mother enrolled her in ballet classes at age three. She began her formal training with regional schools including, The Royal Academy of Dance, The Dance Centre, Alabama Ballet School, and American Ballet Theatre summer programs.

Career

At 16 Lauren joined Alabama Ballet as a company apprentice beginning her professional career. She danced at Alabama Ballet (1998–2007) under Artistic Director and former

American Ballet Theatre American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant. Through 2019, it had an annual eight-week season at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center) in the spr ...

principal dancer, Wes Chapman. At Alabama Ballet, Lauren performed principal roles in several full-length classics including ''

Giselle ''Giselle'' ( , ), originally titled ''Giselle, ou les Wilis'' (; ''Giselle, or The Wilis''), is a romantic ballet () in two acts with music by Adolphe Adam. Considered a masterwork in the classical ballet performance canon, it was first perfor ...

'', ''

Firebird Firebird and fire bird may refer to: Mythical birds * Phoenix (mythology), sacred firebird found in the mythologies of many cultures ** Fenghuang, sometimes called Chinese phoenix * Vermilion bird, one of the four symbols of the Chinese constella ...

'', ''

Sleeping Beauty "Sleeping Beauty" (, or ''The Beauty Sleeping in the Wood''; , or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess curse, cursed by an evil fairy to suspended animation in fi ...

'', ''

Cinderella "Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...

'', ''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

'', ''

Swan Lake ''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoje ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, links=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failu ...

'', ''

Don Quixote , the full title being ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'', is a Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, the novel is considered a founding work of Western literature and is of ...

'' and others, as well as many principal Balanchine roles. In 2007 Lauren was hired into the corps de ballet of

, and in 2011 promoted to soloist by former Miami City Ballet founding artistic director

Edward Villella Edward Villella (born October 1, 1936) is an American ballet dancer and choreographer. He is frequently cited as America's most celebrated male dancer of ballet at the time. He has won numerous awards, including the Daytime Emmy Award for Out ...

. Lauren was named to ''Dance Magazines "25 to Watch" in 2014. In 2015 Lauren was promoted to principal soloist, and in 2017 was promoted to principal ballerina by Miami City Ballet's Artistic Director

Lourdes Lopez Lourdes Lopez (born 1958) is a Cuban-American ballet company artistic director of Miami City Ballet since 2012 and former principal dancer of New York City Ballet. She is also a member of the board of trustees of the Ford Foundation. She received ...

. Lauren's repertoire at Miami City Ballet included principal roles in George Balanchine's ''

Allegro Brillante ''Allegro Brillante'' is a ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 3. The ballet is danced by a principal couple and a corps de ballet of eight. Balanchine said it "contains everything I knew about classic ...

'', ''

Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...

'', ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...

'', ''

Bourrée fantasque "Bourrée fantasque" is a piece of music for solo piano by Emmanuel Chabrier (1841–1894), being one of his last major completed works. Background "Bourrée fantasque" is dedicated to the pianist Édouard Risler (1873–1929), who in fact ...

'', ''

Concerto Barocco ''Concerto Barocco'' is a neoclassical ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to Bach's Concerto for Two Violins. Danced by a cast of eleven, the ballet is completely plotless, and according to Balanchine, "has no "subject matter" beyond the ...

'', '' Donizetti Variations'', '' Divertimento No. 15'', ''

Jewels A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, semiprecious stone, or simply gem) is a piece of mineral crystal which, when cut or polished, is used to make jewellery, jewelry or other adornments. Certain Rock (geology), rocks (such ...

'', ''

The Nutcracker (Balanchine) Choreographer George Balanchine's production of Petipa and Tchaikovsky's 1892 ballet ''The Nutcracker'' is a broadly popular version of the ballet often performed in the United States. Conceived for the New York City Ballet, its premiere took p ...

'', ''

La Sonnambula ''La sonnambula'' (; ''The Sleepwalker'') is an opera semiseria in two acts, with music in the ''bel canto'' tradition by Vincenzo Bellini set to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani, based on a scenario for a ''ballet-pantomime'' written by Eu ...

'', '' La Source'', '' Raymonda Variations'', ''

Scotch Symphony ''Scotch Symphony'' is a ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 3, "Scottish". The ballet is inspired by Scotland, and evokes the style of the romantic ballet era, particularly ''La Sylphide'', which is set in Sc ...

'', ''

Serenade In music, a serenade (; also sometimes called a serenata, from the Italian) is a musical composition or performance delivered in honour of someone or something. Serenades are typically calm, light pieces of music. The term comes from the Ital ...

'', ''

Square Dance A square dance is a dance for four couples, or eight dancers in total, arranged in a square, with one couple on each side, facing the middle of the square. Square dances are part of a broad spectrum of dances known by various names: country dan ...

'', '' Stars and Stripes'', ''

Swan Lake (Balanchine) ''Swan Lake'' is a one-act ballet made by New York City Ballet's co-founder and ballet master George Balanchine to Tschaikovsky's eponymous music (1875–56). The premiere took place Thursday, 20 November 1951 at the City Center of Music ...

'', ''

Tarantella Tarantella () is a group of various Southern Italy, southern Italian Italian folk dance, folk dances originating in the regions of Calabria, Campania, Sicilia, and Apulia. It is characterized by a fast Beat (music), upbeat tempo, usually in Ti ...

'', ''Theme & Variations'', ''

Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular ...

'', ''

The Steadfast Tin Soldier "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" () is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen about a tin soldier's love for a paper ballerina. The tale was first published in Copenhagen by C.A. Reitzel on 2 October 1838 in the first booklet of ''Fair ...

'', ''

Western Symphony ''Western Symphony'' is a ballet made by New York City Ballet co-founder and founding choreographer George Balanchine to American folk tunes arranged by Hershy Kay. It premiered on September 7, 1954 at the City Center of Music and Drama in N ...

'', '' Who Cares?'', ''Valse Fantaisie (1953)'', as well as

Jerome Robbins Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television. Among his nu ...

's, ''

I'm Old Fashioned "I'm Old Fashioned" is a 1942 song composed by Jerome Kern, with lyrics written by Johnny Mercer. It was written for the film ''You Were Never Lovelier'' (1942), where it was introduced by Nan Wynn who dubbed for Rita Hayworth as part of a song ...

'', ''

Dances at a Gathering ''Dances at a Gathering'' is a ballet choreographed by Jerome Robbins to music by Frédéric Chopin, with costumes designed by Joe Eula. The ballet premiered on May 22, 1969, at the New York State Theater, performed by the New York City Ballet ...

'', '' Fancy Free'', '' In the Night'','' The Concert'' and '' Brahms/Handel''. Lauren also danced principal roles for works by

, Sir

Kenneth MacMillan Sir Kenneth MacMillan (11 December 192929 October 1992) was a British ballet dancer and choreographer who was artistic director of the Royal Ballet in London between 1970 and 1977, and its principal choreographer from 1977 until his death. Ea ...

Twyla Tharp Twyla Tharp (; born July 1, 1941) is an American dancer, choreographer, and author who lives and works in New York City. In 1965 she formed the company Twyla Tharp Dance, which merged with American Ballet Theatre in 1988. She regrouped the compa ...

, Paul Taylor,

Christopher Wheeldon Christopher Peter Wheeldon (born 22 March 1973) is an English international choreographer of contemporary ballet. Early life Born in Yeovil, Somerset, to an engineer and a physical therapist, Wheeldon began training to be a ballet dancer at th ...

, Sir

Frederick Ashton Sir Frederick William Mallandaine Ashton (17 September 190418 August 1988) was a British ballet dancer and choreographer. He also worked as a director and choreographer in opera, film and revue. Determined to be a dancer despite the oppositio ...

, Durante Verzola, Roger Van Fleteren, Alan Hineline, Jimmy Gamonet,

, Brian Brooks, Richard Alston,

Leslie Browne Leslie Browne (born June 29, 1957) is an American prima ballerina and actress. She was a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre in New York City from 1986 until 1993. She was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actr ...

, and

John Cranko John Cyril Cranko (15 August 1927 – 26 June 1973) was a South African ballet dancer and choreographer with the Royal Ballet and the Stuttgart Ballet. Life and career Early life Cranko was born to Herbert and Grace Cranko in Rustenburg in ...

. Lauren was celebrated by Miami City Ballet following two separate performances, first on October 20, 2024, after she danced the Divertissement Pas de deux in George Balanchine's ''A Midsummer Night's Dream''. She was honored the second time after taking her final bows as a dancer on December 24, 2024, following her performance as the Sugarplum Fairy in George Balanchine's, ''The Nutcracker''. Lauren began shadowing Miami City Ballet's Artistic Director

in August 2024 and teaching Miami City Ballet company class in January 2025.

Personal life

In 2009, Lauren married Blake Pearson, Founder of Visu Artists.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lauren, Jennifer American prima ballerinas 21st-century American ballet dancers Miami City Ballet dancers People from Tuscaloosa, Alabama 1981 births Living people Dancers from Alabama 21st-century American women artists