Lia Karagianopoulos, High School Director

Lia Karagianopoulos moved to Dallas, Texas in 2018 but is a Baltimore-born artist and educator raised in Maryland. Ms. Karagianopoulos graduated with Cum Laude honors from Towson University in 2017, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography and a specialization in Pre-Physical Therapy studies. While training, she has had the privilege to learn from world renowned artists such as Darrell Grand Moultrie, Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell, Runqiao Du, and Kim Bears-Bailey, amongst many, and has trained under scholarship with contemporary companies such as Hubbard Street Dance Chicago,Ririe-Woodbury, and Houston MetDance. While at TU, Ms. Karagianopoulos was acknowledged with the Senior Outstanding Choreographic Award, and her work was showcased and selected at the 2018 American College Dance Association in Richmond, Virginia. Ms. Karagianopoulos went to Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts and studied dance, graduated 4th in her class with a Principal Award for Academic Achievement and was awarded Maryland All-State Dancer in 2012.

As a performer, Ms. Karagianopoulos has had the privilege of being in the original cast of Dallas’s first world premiering Broadway-style musical, His Story: The Musical and was also a performer in the Texas State Fair Interlaced Production’s, Illumination Sensation. She has danced with professional contemporary and modern dance companies such as Zion Dance Project under Vincent Hardy, Deep Vision Dance Company under Nicole A. Martinell, and Opera AACC. In addition to performing, she has served as an adjudicator for multiple dance competitions and conventions here in Texas, has taught master classes, and has been commissioned for choreography. She has been an instructor at The Dallas Conservatory, since 2018, where she teaches all ages including adults. Currently, Ms. Karagianopoulos teaches Ballet, Modern, Contemporary, Jazz, Tap, Composition, and Anatomy for Dancers, is Progressing Ballet Technique Certified. As a Director of Dance at Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy, her hope is to sow all the tools and knowledge gained over the years into the next generation of artists at GPFAA so they can expand their technical and artistic boundaries so they are prepared to explore and contribute to the world we live in.

Jaiquan Laurencin, Middle School Director

Jaiquan Laurencin is an educator, performer, and choreographer born and raised in Hartford, Connecticut where he studied under his mentor Jolet Creary. Under her mentorship, he was given the opportunity to travel around Connecticut assisting in dance and educational workshops, teach younger kids, perform at events such as fashion shows, dance in an indie film in NYC, attend Earl Mosley Institute of the arts and choreograph for her hip hop based company EQulibrium Dance Theatre. 

After graduating high school, he moved to Texas where he attended Texas Woman's University, receiving his BA in Dance Education. His first year he was honored to be awarded Ungrad Excellence in Performance. During these years he was able to attend multiple dance festivals such as American College Dance Association, compete with a hip hop company, present his choreography for Brazos Contemporary Dance Festival and take summer intensives such as NobleMotion Dance Intensive. As a performer he has danced for companies such as Dark Circles Contemporary Dance under Joshua Peugh, Pedestrian Dance Movement under Liz Terry and guest performed with Noble Motion Dance under Andy and Dion Noble. Artists he has worked with include Sidra Bell, Gabrielle Lamb, Gregory Dolbashian, Justin Giles, and Meredith Rainey to name a few. Along with getting the opportunity to be on film, perform at fashion shows and appear in music videos such as Bastille’s music video Glory. 

He has worked with nonprofit organizations such as North Texas Performing Arts (formerly known as Plano’s Children Theatre) and Junior Players, pre-professional and professional companies, and multiple dance studios teaching workshops and choreographing works. Currently, he judges and teaches for The Dance Effect, while guest teaching and choreographing around Dallas-Fort Worth. Each year he looks forward to being a Dance Director at GPFAA. Hoping to grow and inspire the next generation of artists.