ABOUT
"Lachan is a pleasure to work with when it comes to talking about the process and creating choreography. Lachan always meets me with her vision and achievable goals for each rehearsal while also staying open to new ideas on the spot. She keeps a beautiful balance of leading and learning on the journey, making dancers, like me, happy to join her for any project!"
- Jazlyn R.
"Lachan truly creates work that comes OUT of her dancers. She is always open to ideas no matter how far into the process you are. The vision she has for the project is only part of what sculpts her work. She really sculpts it out of whoever is in the room, on the grass, deep into the woods with her. "
- Maribeth V.
Lachan Jaarda-Niedbala is a dance artist located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. While working on her independent projects, she is also a company member with Wellspring/Cori Terry and Dancers, an instructor at the Academy of Dance Arts and Wellspring Dance Academy, and is the Coordinator for Wellspring's Youth Performing Ensemble. Lachan teaches ages 3 - adult in genres ranging from Ballet/Pointe, Modern, Lyrical, Contemporary, Jazz, Dance Fundamentals, Tap, Creative Movement, Hiphop, and Conditioning.
Lachan has trained primarily in Modern, Ballet, and Jazz as well as some training in Improvisation/Partnering, Tap, Hip-hop, and Musical Theatre. In 2019, she received her Bachelor of Arts in Dance Performance & Choreography from Hope College. While at Hope, Lachan worked with choreographers such as Sharon Wong, Matthew Farmer, Nicole Flinn, Steven Iannacone, and many more. Additionally, she was a company member of both Striketime Dance Theatre and H2 Dance Company while at Hope. After graduating, she has worked with CPR Inhale Movement, Chamberlain Dance, Atelier Dance Company, and Tapestry Dance Company. Additionally, she has taken her choreography to Holland (MI), Detroit (MI), Chicago (IL), and even Paris (France).
Over the last five years, Lachan has choreographed many modern works and several Ballet pieces on professional dancers/students. Most recently Lachan produced Perspectives Dance Concert, an evening showcasing local artists and challenging audience members' perspectives.
She also produced the film series, "Rooted Movement," which started in 2020 and premiered in Fall 2021. Currently, Lachan is in the process of producing her third concert series coming to you early Fall 2023!