LaVonne French, received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance, with an emphasis in Modern Dance and Choreography, from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance, and a Master of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Humanities, with an emphasis in Critical and Creative Topics in Dance, from the University of West Florida. She is a founding member/artistic director of SWERVE/dance Company, a Northwest Florida-based modern dance company. Ms. French teaches the Ballet and Modern dance technique classes, Dance Appreciation, the Theatre Appreciation on-line courses, and is the costumer for the Performing Arts Department. She was the coordinator for the annual PSC Summer Dance Workshop, 2011-2017. A long-time volunteer in the area Arts community, she is the chair of the Dance Stage committee and member of the Scholarship Committee of the Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival, has served on the Artistic Committee at Pensacola Little Theatre, and was a member of the Board of Directors of the Florida Dance Association from 2005-2008.
Ms. French has worked with Young Audiences of Kansas City, Missouri Repertory Theatre (now Kansas City Rep), and City in Motion Dance Theatre (KCMO). Her choreography has been presented at the Florida Dance Festival in Miami, with Kaleidoscope & Ballet Pensacola, Paraplue Dance in Mobile, at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, TX, and in New Orleans, LA. Her theatre choreography includes Young Frankenstein, Jesus Christ Superstar, Spamalot, 9 to 5, Chicago, West Side Story, and The Sound of Music at Pensacola State, Jekyll & Hyde, Man of LaMancha, and Cabaret at UWF, and The Rocky Horror Show, Oklahoma!, Peter Pan, Seussical, The Producers, and All Shook Up at Pensacola Little Theatre. She also directed and choreographed the musical, Go Dog, Go! for PLT.