Lorraine Crittendon
Middle School Dance Educator within CMS
Education:
B.A. Dance, UNC Charlotte (2012)
K-12 NC Teaching License, UNC Charlotte (2018)
M.A. Dance Education, UNC Greensboro (projected 2025)
Hometown: Indianapolis, Indiana
Lorraine Crittendon grew up a natural dancer, who choreographed regularly with and for the kids in her neighborhood. Dance was a free and accessible outlet for creativity that allowed her to perform and learn vernacular dances of the early 2000’s with hip-hop and pop influences.
“I initially got real performance experience with stepping, a percussion dance form that uses rhythms and beats made from clapping, stomping, and snapping. Beyond this, it wouldn’t be until high school that I began taking my first dance classes in public school. I was amazed and felt highly motivated to continue to learn other dances, but I moved to six states and went to five high schools, not all of which had dance programs.
“I ended up in Fayetteville, North Carolina, in 2007, where I met a dance teacher my senior year. She exposed me to true modern dance and helped me create pieces that took my vernacular and mixed it with Horton, Dunham, and Limon styles of modern dance. When I asked how to become a dance teacher, she told me she went to college to study it, and she helped me apply to various universities with dance programs.”
Lorraine decided to attend UNC Charlotte and became the first on both sides of her family to attend a four-year university. She enrolled as a Spanish Ed major, but figured out very quickly that her heart lay with dance. She switched her major to dance the first week of classes.
Currently, Lorraine is a middle school dance educator within Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and recently won Teacher of the Year 2024 at her school. She is also a Teaching Artist with Charlotte Ballet, where she received a 2024 Dance Educator of the Year award with the Charlotte Ballet REACH program. Lastly, she founded a dance troupe, ‘Charlotte Cultural Collective,’ which specializes in the Afro-Diasporic dances of Latin America, Brazil, and the United States.
Her education at UNC Charlotte was her first exposure to a full dance production and formal training. “I was thrown head first into dance etiquette, class structure, rehearsals, and performance. I continue to use my knowledge of technique, pedagogy, cultural practices, ethics in dance, and choreographic approaches to inform my current dance curriculum. I had no knowledge of dance outside my own vernacular and I hope to expand my students’ worldview of dance based on the leadership my professors and administration set forth for me.” She also said that her experience with guest teachers such as, April Berry of the Dunham Company, Pilobolus, Bill T. Jones, Baba Chuck Davis, and dancing with members of the Alvin Ailey company for their 2010 tour gave her invaluable insight and even gave her a new appreciation for Black modern dance.
While at UNC Charlotte she was also a part of and president of The MOVE Dance Alliance club. “This club has always been an important part of developing my leadership and programming skills as a dance professional. Our yearly student choreography showcase was so important to me as a growing choreographer and production manager for dance.”
Since graduating, Lorraine has been a part of many amazing projects. One of these projects is Loose Leaves Dance Showcase. “I currently serve as a board member (Secretary) for the Loose Leaves Dance Showcase, but I’ve been performing in the show since 2014.” I’ve presented my own original works as well as performed with other groups in this event. She has also been a part of the BOOM Festival and Night in Rio festival.
Her advice for current students: “Don’t be scared to explore and expand your training. You can be a jack of all trades; this dance diversity opens up more doors of opportunity. If your desire is to teach, never stop being a student.”