Kelly Kilburn-Lannin LBT Artistic Director

Originally from El Paso, Texas, Mrs. Lannin received her classical training at Ballet El Paso from director, Ingeborg Heuser, former ballerina of the Berlin Opera. With a strong passion and love for dance, she continued her dance education at Texas Woman's University where she was the recipient of the Mary Agnes Murphy and the Anne Duggan Dance Scholarships. Mrs. Lannin performed heavily with Dance Repertory Theatre and the DRT Touring Ensemble while remaining a Dean's List Student. After graduating with her Bachelor's degree in dance in 1983, she began her teaching career in Lewisville. She continued to perform locally and was a charter member of LakeCities Ballet Theatre in 1984. In 1989, Mrs. Lannin was appointed Artistic Director of LBT and now continues to guide the company with the highest standards of professionalism. Her choreography, both classical and contemporary has received many awards, and she has successfully directed and staged productions of The Nutcracker, Le Ballet de Dracula, The Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Coppélia, Swan Lake - Act II, Pas de Quatre, The Little Humpbacked Horse, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, The Little Match Girl, Peter and the Wolf, Stars and Stripes, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, Carmina Burana, A Soldier's Tale, and more thus providing her students with a vast repertoire of performing experience. The accomplishments of her students are proof of Mrs. Lannin's exceptional instruction and guidance, as her dancers are regularly accepted to the major dance institutions throughout the country. Her students have been accepted and or received scholarships to School of American Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, National Ballet School of Canada, Joffrey Ballet, Houston Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet's Rock School, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Juilliard, Harid Conservatory, Kirov Academy, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and others. In addition, many of her former dancers are dancing professionally or have received college scholarship offers and degrees from the dance departments at T.C.U., S.M.U., Marymount Manhattan, Boston Conservatory, University of Oklahoma, University of Utah, Indiana University, Pointe Park University, and Booker T. Washington H.S. for the Performing Arts. Her students, young and old, have won many honors at the Youth America Grand Prix Ballet Competition including 12 first place soloist awards, the prestigious Grand Prix Winner, a Bronze Medalist in the International Finals, and a finalist at the IBC competition in Helsinki in 2009. In 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010, The Youth America Grand Prix organization honored Mrs. Lannin with their "Outstanding Teacher" award. Mrs. Lannin was also honored with an "Angel" Award from the Lewisville Arts Council for volunteering her talents to the community and was commended by the former Honorable Mayor Bobbie Mitchell for the outstanding quality of LBT productions. In 2002, Mrs. Lannin was the first recipient of the Arts Council's "Community Angel Award" for bringing recognition to the City of Lewisville through the Arts. Mrs. Lannin was recently named as an Honorary Board Member to the Lewisville Lake Symphony Association. Mrs. Lannin is happily married to Ken Lannin, and they are the proud parents of a wonderful daughter, Kendall Nicole.