Gavin Larsen Joins Faculty for Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet’s Summer Program

Gavin Larsen, former principal dancer of Oregon Ballet Theatre and on the faculty of the Oregon Ballet Theatre School, will be a member of the faculty for the Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet's Summer Program in Shreveport, Louisiana from July 23-27, 2012.

Gavin Larsen began her professional dance training at the School of American Ballet in New York under the guidance of Antonina Tumkovsky, Helene Dudin, Richard Rapp, Elise Reiman, Suki Schorer, Susan Pilarre, Stanley Williams, Kay Mazzo and Andre Kramarevsky. Ms. Larsen has also studied at the Pacific Northwest Ballet Summer School, the New York State Summer School of the Arts, the Usdan Center for the Arts, and the New York School of Ballet.

In 1992 Ms. Larsen joined Pacific Northwest Ballet where she danced principal roles such as the Autumn Fairy in Kent Stowell's production of Cinderella, the third variation in Paquita, and danced in Lynne Taylor-Corbett's The Quilt, George Balanchine's The Four Temperaments, Miriam Mahdaviani's And Then Again…, and Lila York's Windhover.

In 1999 Ms. Larsen joined the Alberta Ballet rising to the rank of principal dancer. Her repertoire expanded to include Titania in Christopher Wheeldon's A Midsummer Night's Dream, the Siren in Balanchine's Prodigal Son, the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Snow Queen in Mikko Nissinen's production of The Nutcracker, and principal roles in Balanchine's Allegro Brillante and Divertimento No. 15, Helgi Tomasson's Much Ado…, Jean-Paul Comelin's Eternal Spring, and Owen Montague's Tra I Due.

In 2002 Ms. Larsen left the Alberta Ballet to pursue a career as a freeLance Guest artist. She joined the Suzanne Farrell Ballet for its engagement at the Kennedy Center dancing principal and soloist roles in Balanchine's Divertimento No. 15, Raymonda Variations, Chaconne, Who Cares?, and in Anthony Morgan's A Farewell To Music.

In 2003 Ms. Larsen joined the Oregon Ballet Theatre as a principal dancer. Ms. Larsen has expanded her repertoire to include the roles of the Sugar Plum Fairy and Dewdrop in George Balanchine's production of The Nutcracker, Aurora, Princess Florine, and Carabosse in Christopher Stowell's production of The Sleeping Beauty, Helena in Christopher Stowell's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and principal roles in Jerome Robbins' Afternoon of a Faun, Christopher Stowell's Adin, Through The Gates of Eden, and Eyes On You, Kent Stowell's Orpheus Portrait, Helgi Tomasson's Twilight, Paul Taylor's Company B, Christopher Wheeldon's There Where She Loved, Val Caniparoli's Lambarena, James Kudelka's Hush, Yuri Possokhov's La Valse, and Balanchine's Serenade, Duo Concertant, The Four Temperaments, and Concerto Barocco.

In 2010 Ms. Larsen retired from the stage and joined the faculty of the Oregon Ballet Theatre School.