LaVonne French, Instructor of Dance, received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance Performance and Choreography, emphasis in Modern Dance, from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance, and a Master of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Humanities, emphasis in Critical and Creative Topics in Dance, from the University of West Florida. She is a founding member/artistic co-director of SWERVE/dance, a Northwest Florida-based modern dance company, serves on both the Artistic and Treehouse Theatre committees at Pensacola Little Theatre, and is chair of the Dance Stage committee of the Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival. LaVonne has been on the theatre faculty (dance instructor) of the University of West Florida, dance faculty of Kaleidoscope & Ballet Pensacola, and served on the Board of Directors of the Florida Dance Association from 2005 to 2008. Her choreography has been presented at the Florida Dance Festival in Miami, with Paraplue Dance in Mobile, AL, in New Orleans, LA, and at St. Thomas University in Houston, TX.
LaVonne has worked with Young Audiences of Kansas City, Missouri Repertory Theatre (now Kansas City Repertory), City in Motion Dance Theatre (KCMO), and has been the choreographer for ARC Gateway of Pensacola’s annual “Wreaths of Joy” fundraiser since 2008. Her theatre choreography includes West Side Story and The Sound of Music at Pensacola State College, Pippin, Jekyll & Hyde, Man of LaMancha, and Cabaret at UWF, and Peter Pan, Siyotanka, Seussical, and The Producers at Pensacola Little Theatre. She was the co-director and choreographer for PLT’s annual fundraiser production of The Rocky Horror Show, and has also been a choreographer and performer with Broadway A La Carte at Pensacola State College. In 2006 and 2008, she won a PLT “Crystal Award” for Sustained Excellence in Dance and Fight Choreography.