Meet the Staff
Letha is grateful to her outstanding professors and mentors who have not only trained her but inspired her to share her passion of dance through continued education. "Excellence in training children is of utmost importance to me; I continually strive to keep learning, and to have my staff continue professional development through hands on training, courses and conventions".
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Letha grew up in Ludington, Michigan. Her early years of dance training were under the tutelage of Genevieve and Marlene Schoenberger. (The Schoenbergers were the catalyst for bringing dance into the Ludington Community.) She studied ballet (Cecchetti), jazz, tap and gymnastics. She passed four Cecchetti examinations highly commended. She later attended Butler University’s Jordan College of Fine Arts and performed with the Butler Ballet. She transferred to Goucher College in Towson, Maryland and graduated with a B.A. with honors in Dance Therapy/ Education. During her college training, she studied ballet, pointe, modern, jazz, tap with an emphasis in dance therapy. Her final year of college, she spent her two internships at the Maryland School of the Blind and at an Adult Center for the Mentally Challenged. During her years at college she had the privilege of studying with many guest artists including Violette Verdy, Patricia McBride and Jean Pierrre Bonnefous. Letha also enjoyed community theatre during her summers and had several dance roles in musicals such as Grease and West Side Story. Letha continues to enhance her training and education through summer studies, master classes with professional artists such as Finis Jung and Mia Michaels as well as dance conventions including NYCDA, Joe Tremaine and Jump. Letha also has studied the the movement works of Ann Green Gilbert called “braindance” and with her dance therapy as well as continued education in sensory integration, she creates innovative lesson plans to improve a child's sensory integration and brain "power". Letha also trained in Power Pilates as well as completed her Reformer 1 training with Balanced Body. She has completed beginner-advanced mat training through Pilates Training Camps. She is USA Gymnastics Safety Certified and has completed Preschool and Elementary Gymnastics Certifications through Patti Komara, and is also trained and certified with Acrobatic Arts .
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“It is so heartwarming to have come full circle and make it back home to LFSD. I enjoy giving my dancers what was given to me not only in dance education, but in life lessons that reach beyond the studio. I love seeing my dancers grow in technique and in character.”
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Lauren Sawson, Artistic Director
lfsdfremont@gmail.com Lauren began her dance training with Letha Fulton School of Dance in where she first began assistant teaching and her love of teaching was solidified. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance from Wayne State University in Detroit. Lauren was formerly the Artistic Director of a youth pre-professional dance company in Central Ohio, during which she produced and/or choreographed dance and musical productions like the Nutcracker Ballet, Shrek the Musical, and the Wizard of OZ, as well numerous original works. Lauren has studied and taught all styles of dance from classical ballet, to modern, hip hop and West African. She has studied under Meg Paul (Twyla Tharp, Joffrey Ballet), Laurie Peters (New York City Ballet, Original Cast of Sound of Music), New York based companies Amy Marshall Dance Company and Paul Taylor Dance Company, as well as Ralph Lemon. She has participated in a variety of master classes from Sonya Tayeh (So You Think You Can Dance?), Hope Boykin (Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater), Larry Kegwin, and Wanjiru Kamuyu (Broadway’s The Lion King) among others. Lauren has trained in STOTT Pilates Mat and is certified in Acrobatic Arts (M1). She is also a DiscoverDance trained instructor, implementing the latest in behavioral and cognitive dance education for our youngest of movers! Additionally, this Fall Lauren begins her 200-RYT training to become a certified yoga instructor. She believes in cross-training the body with other aspects of movement to allow for full development and potential. |
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Lara Webster, Business Manager
lfsdwebster@gmail.com Lara grew up dancing in her mother Letha's dance studio. Dancing all her life, Lara was the Coach for the nationally ranked Aquinas College Saints Dance Team for many years, and led the Saints dance team to NAIA Nationals for the last four consecutive years earning Top 5 placements. Lara's strengths in coaching styles are Jazz and Pom but is versed is many styles, and brings her knowledge of precision dance team to LFSD as a Performance Team Coach. Lara received her Bachelors degree in Sustainable Business from AQ and has come back home to Ludington to join her family at LFSD. She is the Business Manager for LFSD and LFSD Fremont but tends to wear many LFSD hats. Kim Mickevich, Main Office ludingtonathleticclub@gmail.com Miss Kim has been with LFSD for many years. She began working backstage over 25 years ago and was Stage Manager for almost 20 of those years. She is now the head of the front desk and, undoubtedly, the heartbeat LFSD. While she has many talents, she is your number one point of contact. She is a wealth of knowledge on everything from schedules, pricing, student accounts and shoe fittings. We are beyond thankful for her many gifts she brings to LFSD! |
