Today we’d like to introduce you to April McLaurin.
Hi April, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Hi! My name is April McLaurin and I’m a professional dancer, choreographer, and instructor based in the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina. I’ve always been a multi-passionate artist, ever since I was a little kid drawing cartoons and declaring (at age 7!) that I wanted to be an artist like my grandfather. That creative curiosity led me into music — I studied piano, played flute and piccolo throughout middle and high school, lots of art classes, and eventually a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from UNC-Charlotte with a concentration in photography.
But the one art form that’s always been a constant in my life for the past 30 years is dance.
I started dancing at age 3 in the styles of Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, Contemporary and I never stopped. While in college, I joined an all-female crew called EleKtriK Dance Crew and started training in street styles and commercial dance. That experience cracked open a whole new world for me. I’ve since danced with multiple crews, connected with incredible communities across the East Coast, and had opportunities to perform with credits including BET and MTVYo!, as well as attend programs like Luam Keflezgy’s Rock The Industry and Bo Park’s PARK Program. I’ve even stepped into cyphers and battles in the street dance scene!
As I continued growing as a dancer, my career naturally evolved. I began teaching regularly at local studios, choreographing competition pieces, and offering private lessons. Along the way, I’ve also worn a lot of creative hats: I’ve worked in the wedding photography world, created artwork for hospitality spaces globally as a professional Studio Artist, served as a Creative Director for a physical therapy startup, and now freelance as a graphic designer for small businesses.
In 2022, everything I’d ever loved — movement, photography, design, storytelling, collaboration — started converging into something new: I began directing, producing, and choregraphing my own dance films.
It felt like the culmination of everything I’ve ever done creatively. Like I had finally found my ultimate artistic medium.
Creating dance films allows me to blend all of my artistic passions into one experience. I’ve never loved anything more. Dance has always felt like a compulsion for me. Something I *have* to do. And now, I feel that same pull toward filmmaking. So far, I’ve completed four major film projects: Childhood Dreams (Jan 2023), RIDE (July 2023), Frisson (July 2024), and At The Risk (May 2025). I can’t wait to keep building on this journey!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely has not been a straight path, but I’m grateful for every twist in it. One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced as an artist has been navigating my own limiting beliefs. I’ve often let fear or doubt shape my choices, especially earlier in my journey. Still, I know now that even the detours were leading me exactly where I needed to go, even if I couldn’t see it at the time.
Back in college, I loved that our fine arts program encouraged us to think conceptually and explore different mediums. It really nurtured the artist in me. But outside of class, I tried to be more “practical.” I interned with wedding and fashion photographers during the summers, thinking that was the only way I’d ever make a living. I didn’t let myself admit it then, but I didn’t enjoy that kind of work. I loved dance, but I didn’t think I was good enough to try professionally, so I stuck with the path I thought I was “supposed” to follow.
After college, I spent a few months working in the wedding photography industry before leaving it entirely, unsure of what would come next. I ended up working for an art hospitality company for four years, a dream job I truly loved, but even then, something still felt off. My coworkers would go home and paint or draw. I would leave work and head straight to the dance studio. I started asking myself why. Was something wrong with me? Why was I only fulfilled when I was dancing?
That same feeling came up again in 2019, when I was selected for Luam Keflezgy’s Rock The Industry program in NYC. It was an amazing, transformative experience. For one exercise, we were told to quickly put together an outfit and film a mock audition for the artist we most dreamed of dancing for. I froze. Everyone around me knew exactly who they’d pick and I had no idea. I stood there wondering, “If I love dancing so much, why doesn’t being a back-up dancer feel like the right fit?” (I eventually did pick an artist for the exercise who at the time hadn’t ever used dancers before, but it was still allowed. I picked Billie Eilish!)
It took me years to understand that those moments weren’t signs of failure. They were pointing me toward something else.
In 2020, I got more involved with the street dance community, who stayed active and kept dancing throughout the pandemic in small groups outdoors, in living rooms, kitchens, etc. That time changed everything for me. It unlocked something within me. With newfound inspiration and knowledge, I started choreographing more, and then I couldn’t stop. That momentum eventually led me to create my first dance film in 2022, and it felt like everything finally clicked. I realized I’m not just a dancer. I’m an artist who uses movement as my medium.
That’s why nothing else ever quite fit. Back-up dancing, wedding photography, making art for the hospitality industry, they all came close, but didn’t fully reflect who I am. Filmmaking brought together everything I love: dance, storytelling, choreography, photography, visual art, creative direction, and design all in one place.
So no, the road hasn’t been smooth. And even now, I’m still learning and figuring things out. (And it can be really tough sometimes!) But I finally feel like I’ve found what lights me up most. I’ve made four major dance films in the past three years, and I know I’m just getting started. I often begin those projects wondering, “How in the world am I ever going to do this?” They seem impossible at first, but somehow, I always make it happen against all odds.
If I’ve learned anything, it’s this: don’t let fear or doubt make your decisions for you. Keep searching, even when it feels unclear. Keep creating even if it seems impossible. Your path doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s to be the right one.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As a choreographer, my work is deeply influenced by animation, popping, hip-hop, and contemporary dance styles. I naturally gravitate toward flowing movements with clear shapes, but also with isolations, placements, and sharp hits. As I’ve continued studying those styles, especially through freestyle and training with others, I’ve developed a stronger focus on texture, musicality, and intention in my choreography. It’s an ever-evolving process, but the more I learn, the more I’m inspired to create.
I currently teach Choreography classes (which usually blends a mix of styles like the ones above), Contemporary, and Heels. I also choreograph for competition teams and individual clients. I love interdisciplinary work, especially blending styles that aren’t traditionally combined or expected. In my heels choreography, for instance, you might see a strong contemporary influence, some popping hits, or music that isn’t typically “heels-coded.” I’m especially drawn to choreography that tells a story or creates a feeling.
One pivotal piece for me was a heels piece I choreographed in June 2021 to “Underwaterfall” by Bearcubs. The entire piece was inspired by the character Koh the Face-Stealer from Avatar: The Last Airbender — definitely an unexpected concept for heels! But it was the first time I created something that felt fully like me. After nearly seven years of not quite finding my choreographic voice, it was such a turning point. That piece became the foundation for what would become my choreography style and since then, it’s continued to evolve.
When I began creating dance films in 2022, everything clicked even more. Each film has had its own distinct world, and the scale of production has grown with each one. I approach each project holistically, not just as a choreographer, but as a creative director and storyteller. My films take 6–8 months from concept to release, and I treat every detail, from branding to visual identity to marketing materials, as part of the story.
I’m really proud of how layered the process has become. I don’t just want to make choreography; I want to create a world around it. In a space where branding and storytelling are sometimes overlooked in dance, I try to bring both to the forefront.
What matters most to you?
It’s so hard to pick just one thing that matters most to me! But something I care deeply about, and that’s had a huge impact on my dancing and teaching, is the importance of understanding the roots, context, and cultures behind the styles we train in, especially when it comes to street dance.
I didn’t always know how much I didn’t know. I grew up in a small town on the North Carolina coast, where there were only 3 dance studios within the whole county. All of which only offered traditional classes like ballet, jazz, and tap. I didn’t even see other styles until shows like So You Think You Can Dance or America’s Best Dance Crew aired when I was in middle/high school, and even then, I didn’t have access to try anything outside the studio norm until college when I got the chance to get into hip-hop and commercial dance for the first time.
In my 20s, I started learning more about styles like popping, animation, house, and more—not always through a traditional studio, but through freestyling, cyphers, sessions, and spending time in the NC street dance community. That opened up my world and completely changed how I dance, choreograph, and even view movement as a whole. I realized that so much of what gets labeled just “hip-hop” are actually specific styles with specific traditions and forms—like litefeet, waacking, locking, bruk up, etc. just to name a few! Often dancers aren’t always taught the origins or foundations. Not out of malice, but because, like me earlier in my life, they simply just don’t know yet. You don’t know what you don’t know.
To me, sharing that knowledge matters because it genuinely helped me grow. I care deeply about meeting dancers where they are and encouraging curiosity. Just like in my photography classes in art school, where I had to learn to process film and work in darkrooms before touching a digital camera, I believe in understanding the history and fundamentals of what you love. That deeper context gives you more tools, more appreciation, and ultimately, more freedom.
So in my choreography classes today I always do my best to name the styles I draw from, point dancers toward the communities that shaped them, and offer dancers any resources that I can. Had I not learned more about popping and animation, my choreography would not be where it is today. Had I not learned more about freestyling as a practice and taking part in cyphers and sessions, my choreography and work would not be where it is today. I have the street dance community in NC to thank for that.
Whether you train in a studio, outside of one, or both, there’s always more to discover. And when you approach dance with openness, respect, and a willingness to keep learning, it will give back to you in ways you can’t imagine.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.aprilmclaurin.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aprilmclaurin_/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@aprilmclaurin
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@aprilmclaurin_
