Dancing with Purpose: Lauren Huynh ’21 on SCCDance, Rwanda and Her Career

Lauren Huynh is performing on stage, balancing on one leg with the other extended high into the air. She wears a leotard and shorts, with her arms positioned, one reaching upward.

SCCDance alumna Lauren Huynh ’21 shares how her experiences at TCU have shaped her career.

The School for Classical & Contemporary Dance (SCCDance) will celebrate its 75th anniversary this November, showcasing the program’s distinguished history, bright future and its role in cultivating artists and leaders in dance and beyond.  

With an alumni network dating back to the 1950s, SCCDance graduates from each decade have contributed to diverse endeavors within and beyond the field of dance. We spoke with SCCDance alumna Lauren Huynh ’21 about how her experiences at TCU have shaped her career. 

A Foundation of Support 

Lauren stretches into a backbend in a bright, sunlit dance studio. She is wearing a dark crop top, blue jeans and white sneakers.

Huynh is in her fourth season with Collage Dance Collective in Memphis.

Now in her fourth season with Collage Dance Collective in Memphis, Huynh describes her time at SCCDance as crucial to her development as an artist, providing a supportive environment that allowed her to evolve into the person she is today.

“From the second you step into SCCDance, you are greeted with the warmth of dancers in the student lounge surrounded by the professors’ open office doors,” explained Huynh. “This program prioritizes its students and is constantly reevaluating and advancing to make every individual feel secure, seen and valued.” 

Huynh’s professors actively tailored their pedagogy to meet her individual needs and long-term aspirations. They recognized her ambition to become a professional dancer and saw potential in her that she was not yet able to recognize in herself.  

“I always felt their support and had the privilege of developing a relationship with every single faculty and staff member, all of whom were my greatest cheerleaders in the school and have become my greatest cheerleaders now in my professional career,” said Huynh.   

Connecting Through Movement 

During her time at SCCDance, Huynh was one of four students chosen to travel to Rwanda for a cultural exchange, focused on the use of dance as a healing modality, particularly in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide in 1994. 

Lauren performs a powerful leap outdoors on a green mat, with her arms outstretched and one leg extended high in the air. She wears a gray tank top and black pants. Surrounding her are onlookers, including children and adults, watching attentively.

Huynh was one of four students chosen to travel to Rwanda for a cultural exchange.

One unforgettable moment for Huynh was dancing with students at the Gisimba Memorial Center, which uses the arts to foster strong relationships and aid families in vulnerable East African communities. Despite the language barrier, the students at Gisimba welcomed her warmly, sharing dance steps and choreography.  

As they danced together, it was evident that the joy and heartfelt connection among the group were mutual, uniting them through movement. To make the experience even more memorable, it began to rain as they danced, and they ended the day by improvising with the rain falling around them.   

“That day reminded me of why I began my journey as a dancer in the first place,” explained Huynh.  

“Dancing introduced a language that has granted me the ability to connect with incredible communities of people. Now, as a professional dancer, I reflect on this memory as a reminder that dance is so much larger than myself. Dance is a universal language that brings people together through healing, restoration and pure joy.”   

Learn more about SCCDance’s 75th Anniversary this fall.