Lauris Blackwell grew up singing and dancing at SMSD! After attending Austin College, Lauris was a scholarship winner to the American Musical and Dramatic
Academy in New York City. She has performed professionally around the world. Some of her favorite roles include the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Rose in Bye, Bye Birdie, Amnesia in Nunsense, Lily in Annie, and Rhetta in Pump Boys and Dinettes.
In Conjunction with the Children’s Literacy Program, she performed at the White House and Kennedy Center during the Bush and Clinton Administrations. She also performed in the Natchez Opera for ten years, and was fortunate to be the soloist for then Governor George Bush’s Inauguration.
Since moving home to Texas, she has performed or choreographed with Waco Children’s Theater, Temple Civic Theatre, The Public Domain, River City Pops Buzz Productions, Akins High School, and Austin Summer Musicals For Children. She has also served on the RCP and ASMC Boards. At SMSD, she teaches tap, ballet, jazz, and musical theatre to all ages. Most recently, outside of studio teaching, she is the dance instructor and Resident Choreographer for Christian Youth Theatre. Lauris enjoys spending time with her husband and son when not dancing.