Lorain High Dancers Learn From Emmy Winning Choreographer Dianne McIntyre

LORAIN – On November 12, the Lorain High School dance studio became a professional rehearsal space when Emmy Award-winning choreographer and Cleveland native Dianne McIntyre led a master class for our dance students, joined by guest dancer Kamryn Vaulx.

For nearly two hours, students warmed up, listened, laughed and worked through challenging movements rooted in McIntyre's signature blend of modern dance and music.

LHS Sophomore Mia-Nicole DeJesus-Medina summed up the experience simply, "The masterclass went great today, actually. I really like the movement and how open she had us."

McIntyre is an award-winning choreographer and dancer whose work has shaped American dance for more than five decades. A proud Cleveland native, she is known for fusing modern dance with live music and spoken word to create powerful works that explore history, identity and the deep connections between movement and sound.

In the 1970s, she founded her groundbreaking New York City company, Sounds in Motion. Her choreography has appeared on Broadway, in film and television and on stages at major dance companies and universities across the country.

The visit to Lorain High was part of McIntyre's homecoming residency with DANCECleveland, which is presenting her acclaimed work "In the Same Tongue" at PlayhouseSquare on November 15.

As part of that residency, she is visiting schools and community organizations across Northeast Ohio to lead workshops and engagement activities for people of all ages and dance experience levels.

During the class at Lorain High, she shared how her own journey began in Cleveland.

"I grew up in Cleveland. I studied dance as a little girl. And then as a teenager," she said.

She told students that music was her first inspiration.

"When I was a little girl and I heard music on a TV or radio, all I wanted to do was dance to the music. So, I think my parents said that I just came out dancing. I must have been dancing in the womb," she said while laughing with students.

Joining McIntyre was Kamryn Vaulx, a working dancer who shared both her movement and her story. Vaulx has trained in ballet, hip hop, tap, contemporary and flamenco, and that versatility has opened doors for her across the industry.

As she told students, “It's allowed me to freelance and jump into a lot of different jobs as a dancer in New York City."

In addition to performance work, she has done movement-based modeling, which she described as "a really cool job for movers and dancers."

For Lorain High students, hearing and seeing a young professional dancer talk about building a career from training, versatility and joy made the idea of dancing for a living feel much more real.

From the first pliés, students could tell this was not a typical day in the studio. McIntyre and Vaulx led a warm-up that quickly had everyone working hard.

Junior Jalexis Torres wasn't shy about the hard work. “I really liked it," she said. “And we got really warm in like 10 minutes. So I took off my jacket really quickly. We're very sweaty and stinky," she joked.

Students were pushed to extend farther, listen more closely to the music and commit fully to the phrase, but they were also encouraged to bring their own personality into each step.

Sophomore Sophia Rivera echoed that message, demonstrating how dancers can use movement to express everything from "aggression, anger, like stomping around" to being "very flowy and happy."

Throughout the class, students were reminded that dance is not only about learning steps but about building confidence, community, and voice.

Beyond the sweat and the choreography, the master class gave Lorain High students something just as important — a glimpse of what is possible with their art.

McIntyre's five-decade career shows that a love of music and movement that started in a Cleveland living room can grow into work on national stages. Vaulx's path shows that today's dancers can build careers that include performance, teaching, freelancing and unexpected opportunities like modeling.

Together, they sent a clear message to our Titans: There is space in the world for your creativity, and there are real careers in dance and the arts if you are willing to train, work and stay open to where the movement can take you.