Gina Laurenzi
- Teaching Assistant, Dance
Education
BFA, Choreography & Performance, UW-Milwaukee
Biography
Gina Laurenzi graduated from the University of WI - Milwaukee (UWM) with a BFA in Dance - Choreography & Performance. Currently Ms. Laurenzi serves as the Artistic Manager for Danceworks Youth Performance Company (DYPC), is a guest choreographer for the Makaroff Youth Ballet (Appleton, WI), an associate lecturer at UWM, and creator of the Gina Laurenzi Dance Project. Gina teaches classes in ballet, jazz, improvisation and contemporary dance at Danceworks, Artistic Edge Dance Centre, and as a guest artist throughout the Milwaukee suburbs.
Before beginning her chapter in Milwaukee, Ms. Laurenzi received a full-merit scholarship to train at Giordano Dance Center. Beginning in her teen years, Ms. Laurenzi trained with Elements Contemporary Ballet’s Artistic Director, Michael Gosney. In Chicago Ms. Laurenzi had the opportunity to perform with Giordano II, Inaside Chicago Dance, Dances from the Hall and Dance Chicago, and several independent choreographers.
For seven years, Ms. Laurenzi owned and operated Laurenzi Dance, a studio and center for dance performance companies in her hometown of Kenosha, WI. During that time, Ms. Laurenzi began attending UWM and developing relationships in the Milwaukee dance community. Balancing a studio, school, and a performance career was becoming a difficult task so eventually Laurenzi made plans to move to Milwaukee to fully immerse herself in the Milwaukee arts scene.
In 2012, Gina was a movement researcher under Simone Ferro assisting in the creation of her work for the UWM, Milwaukee Ballet and Present Music collaboration, “Falling". In 2014, Gina worked with Maria Gillespie in the formation of "Toward a Center of Two Things”. Gina has performed in Gillespie’s Hyperlocal, Luc Vanier’s Somatophobia, Rooftop Dances, and in the work of UWM alum, Kym MacDaniel and Madeleine Schoch. Most recently, she has had the experience working with artists such as Dani Kuepper, Daniel Burkholder and Dawn Springer as a member of Danceworks Performance Company. Laurenzi’s work has been shown in Italy, Prague, and many art venues across Wisconsin including; the University of Wisconsin - Parkside, Next Act Theatre, Danceworks Studio Theatre, Jan Seer Studio and in the Milwaukee Fringe Festival alongside Danceworks colleague, and friend, Christal Wagner in their collaborative event, Two 2 Duet.