Lauren Breen, originally from Trumbull, Connecticut, began her early dance training locally before continuing her education at the School of American Ballet in New York City. After graduation, she joined the Miami City Ballet School, performing with the professional company in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker and Stars and Stripes. Lauren went on to dance with Richmond Ballet, where she rose from apprentice to full company member in 2006. Highlights of her time in Richmond include Malcolm Burn’s The Sleeping Beauty (Canary Fairy, Jewels), George Balanchine’s Apollo (Calliope) and Mozartiana, and Val Caniparoli’s Violin and Djangology. In 2010, Lauren joined the Sacramento Ballet, where she performed for nine seasons in a variety of repertoire, including Ron Cunningham’s The Nutcracker (Spanish, Lead Marzipan) and Cinderella (Autumn Fairy), as well as Balanchine works such as The Four Temperaments, Serenade, and Rubies. She also had the honor of performing with The Suzanne Farrell Ballet at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for three seasons, dancing in Balanchine’s Walpurgisnacht Ballet, Chaconne, and Gounod Symphony. Lauren was also a founding member of Capital Dance Project, a dancer-run company based in Sacramento, California. She is thrilled to join the faculty of CityDance this year and looks forward to sharing her passion for ballet with the next generation of dancers.