About Laurie

Laurie Volny Langdon is a former professional ballet dancer and experienced dance educator whose career spans classical ballet, Broadway, musical theater, choreography, and teaching.

Classical Ballet

A native of New Orleans, Laurie began her dance training at the Giacobbe Academy of Dance before studying at the summer programs of American Ballet Theatre and San Francisco Ballet.

She joined Houston Ballet and rose to the rank of Soloist, performing many of the great classical ballet roles as well as works by leading choreographers including Ben Stevenson, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Paul Taylor, Peter Wright, Christopher Bruce, and George Balanchine.

Among her notable roles were the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Fairy Beauty and Fairy Temperament in The Sleeping Beauty, the Pas de Trois in Swan Lake, and roles in Balanchine's La Valse, Symphony in C, Theme and Variations, and Concerto Barocco.

Broadway and The Phantom of the Opera

Laurie and Hal Prince during a rehearsal at the Majestic Theater in New York City.

In 1994, after fourteen years with Houston Ballet, Laurie joined the national touring production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera. After touring to more than 65 cities, she became Dance Captain/Swing, overseeing the musical staging of the production and working closely with associate choreographer Denny Berry.

As a Swing, Laurie covered multiple dancer and chorus tracks, going on at a moment's notice when a cast member was absent. She was subsequently promoted to Dance Captain of the Broadway company at the Majestic Theatre in New York, where she worked closely with choreographer Gillian Lynne and director Hal Prince.

International Experience

Laurie's work with The Phantom of the Opera eventually brought her back to Germany. In 2013, she served as Assistant Choreographer for the German-language production of Das Phantom der Oper in Hamburg, assisting with the staging of the production.

Teaching

Teaching has been an important part of Laurie's career for more than 20 years.

She currently teaches at the Giacobbe Academy of Dance in New Orleans, working with advanced, intermediate, and adult ballet students as well as dancers studying pointe. She also teaches private lessons, audition preparation, and performance coaching, tailoring instruction to each dancer's individual needs.

Laurie has also taught dance, ballet, movement, partnering, and choreography at the University of Utah, including live online ballet instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She is passionate about helping dancers develop strong technique, understand their movement, and become confident, expressive artists.