Kelly Kilburn-Lannin

 

SCHOOL DIRECTOR

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: LAKECITIES BALLET

CLASSES TAUGHT: BALLET, POINTE, PRE PRO, TWINKLE DANCE

 

A versatile and motivational teacher who enjoys teaching all ages and levels of Classical Ballet. Her artistic integrity, high standards and dedicated students have attracted outstanding dance professionals to join the staff of Ballet Conservatory making its list of faculty members quite impressive. Originally from El Paso, Texas, Mrs. Lannin received her classical training at Ballet El Paso from director, Ingeborg Heuser, former ballerina of the Berlin Opera. With a strong passion and love for dance, she continued her dance education at Texas Woman’s University where she was the recipient of the Mary Agnes Murphy and the Anne Duggan Dance Scholarships. Mrs. Lannin performed heavily with Dance Repertory Theatre and the DRT Touring Ensemble while remaining a Dean’s List Student.

 

After graduating with her Bachelor’s degree in dance in 1983, she began her teaching career in Lewisville. She continued to perform locally and was a charter member of LakeCities Ballet Theatre in 1984. In 1989, Mrs. Lannin was appointed Artistic Director of LBT and now continues to guide the company with the highest standards of professionalism. Her choreography, both classical and contemporary has received many awards, and she has successfully directed and staged productions of The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Coppelia, Swan Lake – Act II, Pas de Quatre, The Little Humpbacked Horse, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, The Little Match Girl, Peter and the Wolf, Stars and Stripes, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, Carmina Burana, The Soldier’s Tale, and more thus providing her students with a vast repertoire of performing experience.

 

The accomplishments of her students are proof of Mrs. Lannin’s exceptional instruction and guidance as her dancers are regularly accepted to all the major dance institutions throughout the country.  In addition, many of her former dancers are dancing or have danced professionally at New York City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Texas Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, Tulsa Ballet. Others have received college scholarship offers and degrees from the dance departments at T.C.U., S.M.U., Juilliard, Marymount Manhattan, Boston Conservatory, University of Oklahoma, University of Utah, Indiana University, University of Arizona, Philadelphia School of the Arts, Pointe Park University, Alvin Ailey, Fordham University, and Brigham Young University.

 

Her students, young and old, have won many 1st place honors at competitions including the Youth America Grand Prix’s prestigious Grand Prix winner, Hope Award winner, and a New York Finals Bronze medalist as well as a finalist at the International Ballet Competition in Helsinki, Finland and Jackson, Mississippi. Mrs. Lannin’s choreography of “Lacrimosa” performed by Steven Loch was selected to be performed at the YAGP “Stars of Today Meet Stars of Tomorrow Gala” at New York City Center and also at the Miami International Dance Festival. The Youth America Grand Prix organization honored Mrs. Lannin with their “Outstanding Teacher” award in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010. Mrs. Lannin was also honored with an “Angel” Award from the Lewisville Arts Council for volunteering her talents to the community and was commended by the former Honorable Mayor Bobbie Mitchell for the outstanding quality of LBT productions.

 

In 2002, Mrs. Lannin was the first recipient of the Arts Council’s “Community Angel Award” for bringing recognition to the City of Lewisville through the Arts. She is an honorary board member for the Lewisville Lake Symphony and an active board member for LakeCities Ballet Theatre. She served for three years on the board of directors for the Dance Council of North Texas and was honored to serve on the Dance Panel for the Texas Commission on the Arts. Mrs. Lannin is happily married to Ken Lannin, and they have one daughter, Kendall.