Teacher

Lauren Lynn Manzano

With 22 years experience in martial arts and multiple black belts, Lauren Manzano's journey into the dance world was unusual. As a competitive fighter, she supplemented her training with the feminine dance form of belly dance and immediately fell in love. Fast-forward five years and Lauren retired from fighting and began taking like dance classes while teaching belly dance at the University of California, Irvine. The mixture of muscles engagement and athleticism with the natural sensuality and grace of Pole easily led to her delving head-on into the competitive pole world successfully. Lauren is a 6-time medalist in Exotic and Dramatic pole categories, currently a Level 5/Pro competitor for the 2019 season. Teaching movement for more than 16 years, Lauren combines her extensive and diverse backgrounds to create a unique approach to dance that emphasizes body awareness, muscle engagement, and proper technique to inspire organic, sensual movement. In short, Lauren is a butt-kicking, coffee-drinking, shoulder-mount-loving pole dance with a love for muscle isolation.