Alumni Spotlight: Lauren Macmadu
- Meet the Artist
Meet Lauren Macmadu
In each Alumni Newsletter, we spotlight one San Francisco Ballet School alum and tell their story. Sign up for our alumni mailing list to receive the quarterly newsletter, which has all kinds of fun alumni events and opportunities! For now, enjoy the November spotlight on Lauren Macmadu.
How did ballet first come into your life?
I was first introduced to ballet at the age of five, when I joined San Francisco Ballet School’s “threshold” division with Ms. Swenson.
What brought you to San Francisco Ballet School?
My mother, a professional ice skater—and the first Black professional skater in the Ice Capades—was determined to give me an outlet that offered both artistry and opportunity. At the time, professional skating had limited pathways, so she turned to ballet. As a San Francisco native, San Francisco Ballet School was the natural place to begin. I started training at age five at the old 18th Avenue studios, under the leadership of Lew Christiansen. That building became the backdrop for my childhood and the starting line for a lifelong journey.
My mother, a professional ice skater—and the first Black professional skater in the Ice Capades—was determined to give me an outlet that offered both artistry and opportunity. At the time, professional skating had limited pathways, so she turned to ballet. As a San Francisco native, San Francisco Ballet School was the natural place to begin. I started training at age five at the old 18th Avenue studios, under the leadership of Lew Christiansen. That building became the backdrop for my childhood and the starting line for a lifelong journey.
How was your time in the school?
San Francisco Ballet School was truly my second home. I spent countless afternoons and weekends there—Nutcracker rehearsals, classes, and long breaks in the old school lounge where we did homework, shared snacks, and built friendships that stretched across years. I loved the rigor, the routine, and the sense that I belonged to something bigger than myself. Those years shaped my character as much as my technique.
Where did life take you after your time in the school (college, dancing professionally)?
After graduating from San Francisco Ballet School, I attended UC Berkeley to study Civil Engineering, but ballet never left my body. I kept dancing throughout the Bay Area and while performing with the Robert Henry Johnson Dance Company, I met Christina Johnson, a principal dancer with Dance Theatre of Harlem. She encouraged me—and a fellow dancer—to audition.
I called the Dance Theatre of Harlem and arranged to fly out to audition, and upon returning home, I was offered a corps de ballet contract with Dance Theatre of Harlem. I withdrew from Berkeley, packed my bags, and moved to New York in January 1996 to begin the professional career I had dreamed of since childhood.
What is your favorite piece of repertory that you performed during your career?
My favorite ballet of all time is Serenade. I’ll never forget performing it at the Parthenon in Athens on a circular, raked outdoor stage—dancing under the stars with history surrounding us. It was surreal.
I also loved performing Dougla by Geoffrey Holder, a powerful ballet rooted in a Trinidadian marriage ceremony. Every time we stepped onstage, there was a collective sense of pride. Our chests lifted, our presence expanded—we were royalty for those moments. It was exhilarating and deeply grounding all at once.
What do you do now professionally? Does your dance training help you out in what you do?
After retiring from Dance Theatre of Harlem, I returned to UC Berkeley and earned my degree in Mass Communications, followed by a Master’s in Integrated Marketing Communications from Golden Gate University. For over 20 years, I’ve worked in marketing and communications, and today I serve as Chief External Relations Officer at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. I am also proud to be on faculty at San Francisco Ballet School.
Dance is woven into everything I do. Ballet taught me discipline, resilience, presence, and how to communicate without speaking. Those lessons carried me across a stage—but they also carry me through boardrooms, leadership roles, and life.
What has it been like to return to San Francisco Ballet School as a teacher?
Walking back into the School felt like coming home. There is a grounding calm in returning to the space that shaped my earliest dreams. My time at SF Ballet—joys and challenges—formed who I am, and now I have the privilege of passing that love of ballet, discipline, artistry, and possibility on to the next generation. Every class is a chance to give students what the School gave me: structure, curiosity, community, and a place to imagine who they can become.
What advice do you have for current San Francisco Ballet School students?
Run your own race. Don’t measure yourself against the dancer next to you; measure yourself against who you were yesterday. Stay focused, stay disciplined, and make space for joy—you spend too many hours in the studio not to love what you’re doing.
A professional career is never guaranteed, but the lessons you carry from this training—the work ethic, the resilience, the ability to push through discomfort—will serve you in every part of your life.
Figure out what ballet means to you, stay present, give your all, and let it shape you. Ballet has a way of fueling your soul in ways you may not fully understand until years later.
