Lara Barclay - Guest Choreographer / Lamondance co-founder

Lara is a dancer and passionate collaborator with international experience as a performer, teacher, and choreographer. Trained at the National Ballet School and Hamburg Ballet School, her dance career spanned 25 years, performing with Aszure Barton & Artists, Ballet Mannheim, Toronto Dance Theatre, Ballett Kiel, The Needcompany, Deborah Colker, Sylvain Émard, Action at a Distance, Mascall Dance, Josh Beamish, Evann Siebens, Vision Impure, and Plastic Orchid Factory. After 8 years spent touring with Aszure Barton, her final performance took place at Kampnagel Hamburg in 2019, dancing to a live, improvised score by Hauschka. Lara spent 3 years rehearsing and directing for Ballet BC under the direction of Emily Molnar and Medhi Walerski. She went on to become Ballet BC’s Associate Director of Outreach and Education, offering innovative workshops and performances to public schools throughout BC. Alongside performing, Lara worked as an educator for three decades, helping to carve stronger creative pathways for dancers. She co-founded Lamondance in 2009 and has taught and choreographed for several companies and programs, including Arts Umbrella, Modus Operandi, Aszure Barton & Artists, Danish Dance Theatre, Deborah Colker, Richmond Academy of Dance, RNB Dance, and Goh Ballet. In 2017, Lara began studying Expressive Arts Therapy in Vancouver and, in 2022, completed her Master’s degree at the European Graduate School in Switzerland. She currently works as a child and youth therapist for the Squamish Nation, where she continues her lifelong dialogue with movement while encouraging well-being through play and creative expression.