 Laura Padierne began her dance career in Miami,
Florida. In 2001, she graduated from the University of Florida with honors, receiving a
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and a minor in business. In addition, she received her certification in Dance Healing from Shands Hospital where she worked as an artist in residence. While attending UF, Ms. Padierne had the
opportunity to study, and perform, with ODC/San Francisco, Les Ballet
Africains, Dance Brazil, Dance Alive!, and Garth Fagan Dance. To complement her University studies, Ms. Padierne has been awarded several scholarships,
which have allowed her to further her dance education at prestigious programs
and schools throughout the United States. These include: American Dance
Festival, the American College Dance Festival, the Boston Ballet, Pacific
Northwest Ballet, ODC/San Francisco (UF), and New World School of the
Arts.
Since relocating to San Francisco, she has performed
across the U.S with touring company Dance Thru Time, and at the ODC, Cowell
and Marin theaters with several bay area choreographers. Currently, she
is a company member of Carmen Carnes Dance Ensemble and a guest artist/choreographer
with Vispo Dance. Recently, she was chosen by director Christopher Columbus
as a dancer in the movie, “Rent” (based on the Broadway show).
Ms. Padierne is also a nationally recognized choreographer. In 2000, her
piece “Something for Everybody” was chosen to be performed
at the Gala of the American Dance Festival held in Georgia, and honored
again with its presentation at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Her other works, which fuse Afro-Cuban rhythms and traditional modern
dance, have been presented throughout theaters in Florida and Bay Area.
Ms. Padierne has been teaching ballet,
jazz and modern for ten years, to both children and adults. In the fall of 2006, she founded Noe Valley Dance Space, which dedicates itself to building the young dancer's relationship with dance in a nurturing and encouraging environment. At NVDS, students learn classical technique and vocabulary while tapping into their imaginations and focusing on healthy body aligment. In 2007, the NVDS program expanded to bay area schools St. Philip Elementary and Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory High School where Ms. Padierne heads their afterschool dance programs and directs the SHCP Dance Company.
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