Our Founder
LAURIE KANYOK
founder/director
Laurie Kanyok is the founder and director of Kanyok Arts Initiative based in New York City with a mission of evolving the standard approach to dance education. Kanyok is recognized as an impeccable industry leader, mentor, and coach.
Most recently, Kanyok was the casting consultant for Tony Award winning choreographer Chris Wheeldon’s An American in Paris, scouting talent from the elite ballet companies of North America. As a performer, Ms. Kanyok played the lead roles in Twyla Tharp’s COME FLY AWAY and MOVIN’ OUT as well as appearing on Broadway in FOSSE, SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER and IN YOUR ARMS. Finding parallels between being a mother and being a teacher drives her passion for her students’ success daily as she inspires them to be daring and find meaning in every moment.
“Laurie Kanyok has developed a remarkable program in NYC that prepares young professionals for real world job opportunities. As a performer, Laurie was bold, intuitive, and fearless, while having solid technical training. She brings all of those qualities to her students at KAI. Her program fills a major gap in training so that students are absolutely prepared to succeed as entertainers. I can’t recommend Laurie or the Kanyok Arts Initiative highly enough.”