SFDC Faculty

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San Francisco Dance Company

Artistic Director & Choreographer 

CHOREOGRAPHERS GUILD

SAG-AFTRA

AEA

DANCEONE JUDGE

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING & EDUCATION:

Bachelor of Fine Arts • Purchase Conservatory of Dance 

American Ballet Theatre

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre

Alonzo King’s Lines Ballet 

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago 

San Francisco Ballet 

Complexions Contemporary Ballet 

The A.C.T. Conservatory​

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First we would like to congratulate Lara Jean Mummert, winner of the 2025 YAGP OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHER AWARD.  

At the very young age of 3 Lara Jean stepped onto the dance floor, training in Ballet, Tap, and Jazz. At the age of 9 she was winning dance scholarships around the country and at just age 12 she was an assistant dancer for Brian Friedman, traveling throughout the U.S. She continued her training in most styles, with some of the best artist in the world, Mia Michaels, Gregory Hines, Sonya tayeh, Chris Jacobson, Mandy Moore, and more! Performing their choreography helped Lara Jean understand exactly where she wanted to go in her career. Lara then received scholarships to train with American Ballet Theatre, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, so she moved to NYC at just 13 years old and by 17 she received full scholarship to the top training school in the country, the prestigious Purchase Conservatory of Dance, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude.

Lara Jean during this time was invited to join the Steps Ensemble of New York City as a principal dancer at age 18. From there she went on to train and perform with Hubbard Street, Metropolitan Opera, NYC Ballet and more. After performing in the United States she was invited by STEPS in Italy, a contemporary ballet company, where she choreographed and performed with them for over 6 months. She then went off to tour with Sesame Street, Bruce Springsteen, Darren Criss, Paris Hilton, and many more other fabulous artists. Lara Jean was then asked to choreograph for Bravo Channel and Oxygen Network, as well as the Metropolitan Opera all in the same year, and now, she is choreographing for Cedar Fair Parks Stunt shows with All Wheel Sports, Netflix and the Musical Anastasia (Set to premiere this August).

Choreography credits include: Metropolitan Opera, Bruce Springsteen, Paris Hilton, Darren Criss, oxygen network, Sesame Street, The Netflix Bridgerton Experience, All Wheel Sports, Kings Island Cedar Fair, California’s Great America, Disney and more.

Lara Jean has won 9 “Best Choreographer Awards” in 2025 alone. She is very excited to see what the future holds for herself and SFDC! 

Yuka Sugiura is a Neuroperformance Coach who takes a brain-centered approach to help athletes and dancers enhance flexibility, balance, and strength while optimizing recovery. Her framework assesses and trains brain areas and systems that can significantly impact movement – yet are often overlooked in conventional training and therapy. She has worked with athletes in NCAA programs, USA Gymnastics National and World teams, and multiple Olympians. With a highly specialized and adaptable approach, she equips her clients with tools to support long, healthy careers.

Victoria (Tori) Henwood began dance journey at the age of 3 at Touch of Class Dance Studio in Broomall, Pennsylvania. She soon started a journey of competitive dance where she got to experience the various different disciplines of dance and take from a variety of teachers in the commercial dance industry. At the age of 13, she moved to Northern Kentucky where she continued her training at Expressions Dance Theatre. She continued to competitively dance and was graciously given the opportunity to attend Kentucky’s Governor’s School for the Arts as a dance study. At GSA, she found her love for contemporary concert dance and decided to pursue her passion into college. Tori attended Wright State University as a dance major from 2019-2023, getting to learn from and dance for some of the most brilliant minds. While in the dance program, she also got to perform in pieces from guest choreographers Kiki Lucas, Stewart Owen’s Dance Company, Elizabeth Ramsey, Allison Reny, and Ray Mercer. She spent 6 seasons as a seasonal performer at Kings Island Theme Park in Mason, OH after officially obtaining her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance in 2023. In January of 2024, Tori made the decision to move to Las Vegas to widen her knowledge and training in the dance industry. Soon after moving to Vegas, she has had the pleasure to work with various event companies and choreographers that opened her up to the incredible dance community that lives within Las Vegas. Since the move, she has completed Rookie Season with the Vegas Golden Knights as a Vegas Viva, been a reoccurring performer for Insomniac Productions, and is beginning her journey with Elemental Dance Company, a contemporary company based in North Las Vegas