Lauri Kraft is a musical theatre choreographer for professional theatre companies and educational institutions in the Twin Cities.  She is Resident Choreographer at Lyric Arts, a professional theatre in Anoka, MN.  

 

In 2025, she will direct and choreograph Lyric Arts’ The Music Man, and will launch the theatre’s inaugural Choreography Fellowship, which she developed to mentor emerging choreographers within the context of a professional production.  

 

Since 2016, Kraft has choreographed over 20 full-length productions, including A Chorus Line, Anything Goes, EVITA, Guys and Dolls, Legally Blonde, Shrek, White Christmas and more.  Choreography credits include DalekoArts, Lyric Arts, Normandale Community College, Shoot the Glass Theater, and Totino-Grace High School. 

 

Kraft brings more than 35 years of experience as a performer and dance captain, performing professionally in the Twin Cities, Chicago, and D.C.  Twin Cities credits include Artistry, Lyric Arts, Minnesota Orchestra, Minnesota Opera, Skylark Opera and Theatre Latté Da.  And, Kraft toured nationally in A Chorus Line, with a special appearance at New Jersey’s Paper Mill Playhouse.  

 

Kraft also evaluates high school theatre productions with the Hennepin Arts Spotlight program.  She has taught jazz, ballet, tap and musical theatre classes and workshops in the Twin Cities and Chicago.  Previously, she managed a public relations team for a data communications/networking company, and has extensive experience writing, editing and developing communications strategies.

​

A graduate of Northwestern University, she was a dancer, choreographer and producer for Northwestern’s Graffiti Dancers, a company run by students since 1974.  Her family includes three generations of dancers — her mother is a dancer/choreographer, and her oldest child is pursuing a BFA in Dance at SUNY Purchase.