Lauri began dancing in her living room long before any formal training! At age three she danced for a year with Virginia Tanner and at age four began pre-ballet classes with Dixie Clegg. She also studied ballet with Jean Renee and Miki Casalino. In high school she took classes at the University of Utah from Ballet West founders Willam Christensen and Gordon Paxman and her training was augmented with modern dance as a member of the East High Dance Company under the direction of Connie Jo Hepworth. After graduation she attended the University of Utah where she majored in Elementary Education and minored in Ballet, studying with Bene Arnold and Barbara Hamblin.

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In 1980 she began teaching fitness classes at various locations in the  Salt Lake valley and retained a steady clientele for several years. In1983 she joined her aunt, then Owner and Artistic Director Dixie Clegg, as a member of the staff at The Dance Company (TDC) teaching pre ballet. In 1991 she was asked to write a music program for Uintah Elementary; she spent the next year creating the program, which included classical music and movement, then enjoyed 3 years teaching it in K-6 classrooms.   

In 1996 she moved to Bountiful for 11 years, where she and her husband continued to raise their family. During that time she took a hiatus from full time teaching but remained connected to dance while substitute teaching at the Creative Arts Academy.  

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In addition to Ballet, Lauri has also taught Creative Dance, Mom & Tot, Early Tap, Tumble and Jazz at TDC. She has a deep love for her students and derives immense satisfaction watching them blossom, not only as dancers, but as individuals. She is the mother of six and the grandmother of thirteen, some of which have been her students at TDC.