CREATIVE CHOREOGRAPHIC CONNECTIONS

Lisa Conlin has been a director, choreographer, teacher, dancer, actress, model, and performer for over thirty years. She trained at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet of Canada, New York, Chicago, Minneapolis, and received a dance scholarship to Los Angeles, CA. She danced professionally with Ballet of the Dolls Dance Theater Company, Sweet Feet Tap Company, Keane Sense of Rhythm Tap Company, Continental Classical Ballet Company, and OFF-LEASH AREA Dance Theater Company. She has been cast in regional and national commercials, videos, musicals, print, and runway shows, and touring shows to Paul Taylor Dance Studio, NYC, NY, and Macy’s Calvin Klein Tour Show throughout the Midwest.

She is the Co-Artistic Director of LiRa Dance Theatre Company, Director/Choreographer of Balleraena Dance Studio's winter productions, Director/Choreographer for Move to Heal SD Dance Collective, and on faculty at Balleraena Dance Studio, Move to Heal SD, FORM Fitness Boutique and for DAPA at the Washington Pavilion Theater.

Choreographically, Conlin has recently been awarded the South Dakota Arts Council Artist Fellowship award 2021-22, a Run Project Grant through Embrace Church, Sioux Falls Stage Best Dance Show for 2021-22, a recipient of the Live Music for Dance Minnesota Grant Program, voted Outstanding, Encore, and Most Original Choreography at Midwest Dance Competitions, choreographed four full-length shows, and curated RENOVATE-A Choreographer’s Evening. She is also certified in yoga, barre, and pilates. Lisa's passion is creating artistic connections with her students and collaborating with community organizations to give back to her community and beyond. She loves watching her students grow and shine their bright lights for all to see. She thanks her dance teacher Judy Rae Smith for giving her the gift of "loving dance" when she was four years old.

Recent Work

A note from Lisa on her teaching philosophy

I have been teaching dance and theater for over thirty years throughout the Midwest. I love developing relationships with my students of all ages: children, young adults, and mature adults to help them be the best they can be in whatever avenue of dance and theater they want to explore. I love to watch the growth of each individual student and find their strengths to enhance and help nurture their skills and technique along the way to take them to the next level of their artistic journey. Working on choreography with individuals or for independent projects, my choreography can best be described as; The body of my work is based from several aesthetics that I have trained and worked in. I use modern, ballet, pointe, jazz, contemporary, musical theatre, tap, ballroom, rhythms, and yoga. My movement can be quirky, athletic, lyrical, rhythmic, busy, quiet, or still. The brains of my work is my hours spent researching different areas that relate to the work. Most of my ideas come from things that I am passionate about, life experiences, or things that I want to educate people about. The face of my work is, of course, my theatrical background in characterization, storytelling, and emotions. The mouth of my work is fusing voiceovers, text work, and vocal sounds with choreography to add layers, depth, and texture to the work. The eyes of my work is my movement on artists. I take the time to connect with the dancer’s strengths with my movement on their bodies. The heart of my work is things that have meaning and purpose and that I think the audience can relate to. When the audience and work connect, it is magical and that is what I strive for. I want the audience to be moved some way-somehow; to laugh, cry, surprise, love, question, as long as it is felt from the heart I feel like I have created a masterpiece.