Dancer Laura de la Garza Noble Explores Her Multidimensional Journey
Born and raised in Mexico City, Mexico, Laura de la Garza Noble has been a dancer, choreographer, and educator, specializing in modern dance, contemporary, and ballet for over 22 years.
She started dancing when she was just 2 years old, and has wanted to be a dancer ever since. Her deep passion and talent for dancing have taken her from Mexico to the USA, and everywhere in between.
Discover her journey to success.
In Laura's journey, her family has always been extremely supportive and helpful. For her parents, it was important that she pursue her dreams and be determined to achieve them.
“My older sister is actually an actress. She and I always did everything together, we trained in dance and we went to musical theater workshops together. Then we chose our passions when going to college.” -says Laura
Laura de la Garza Noble quickly became a name in her native Mexico City, performing for artists Emilio Catalan, MB Producciones, MoveOn Dance Agency, choreographer Maribel Ochoa, and radio station EXA.
In 2013, Laura was chosen as dance captain of “A Cabaret Night'' by MB Productions, from over 500 dancers. During many months, Laura was responsible for leading rehearsals, reviewing choreography, creating teaching materials, and performing in 3 states in Mexico as well as a live television performance during the program "TV de noche".
The same year, Laura also performed for the EXA radio station concert, chosen from over 800 dancers all over Mexico, to dance in one of the most famous places in Mexico, the Palacio de los Deportes. The show featured international bands such as 3BallMTY, La Oreja de Van Gogh, Jenny and The Mexicats, Jesse & Joy, Gloria Trevi, Alejandra Guzmán, David Bisbal, Romeo Santos, and the British boys band The Wanted. Laura and her group of dancers performed numbers in hip hop, Latin dance and jazz to cover the over 3-hour show, both together with the different bands and between acts.
These experiences set up Laura's career and led to her being invited to programs in various countries as a result of the notoriety she gained from them.
From Mexico to London, Cuba, and the U.S. : fulfilling the dream and learning from the best.
Art is not encouraged and emphasized as much in Mexico as it is here in the United States, especially in schools. As a result, when Laura was 19 years old, she decided to pursue higher education in college, in New Jersey : a great challenge that she was setting herself up, for achieving her dream and expanding her knowledge about art.
“Whenever I told people I wanted to be a dancer, they always felt that it was simply a hobby and I was constantly told that would not take me far in life. However, I never really gave up on my dream. I went to school all morning, would have an hour long break to eat and do homework and then I would train until 9 or 10 at night. Growing up in Mexico to become a dancer required persistence, an extremely good work ethic, and a demonstrated passion.” -says Laura
The Dance Awards - NYC - 2013
U.S. Art School programs are not only some of the best in the world, but also indispensable to artists around the globe in their quest for success.
With a 1.5% of international students acceptance rate, Laura de la Garza Noble was one of the few selected in 2016 at the prestigious Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, in New Brunswick, NJ. Their Dance program has been ranked one of the "top 20 BFA Dance Programs" in the nation by OnStage Blog, one of the "5 Top Dance Schools Across the Country" by Backstage, one of "The 13 Best Performing Arts Colleges in the US" by PrepScholar blog, and more.
“My parents were always very clear that I could study whatever I wished, but that it was vital that I go to college and get a degree. In Mexico there is no such thing as a dance degree so if I wanted to study dance I had to move abroad. For some time I was afraid to go for it and pursue my dream since it meant leaving the comfort of home, but I knew that pursuing my passion was well worth it so I applied for some of the top 10 colleges for Dance in the United States. I finally decided on attending Mason Gross School of the Arts within Rutgers University, NJ.” -says Laura
There, Laura got her Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in 2020. She continued her dance education, specializing in modern dance, and obtained her Master in Dance Education (Ed.M.) in 2021.
“I always wanted to be involved in the dance world, however, no, I did not always want to pursue my career in the United States. To be honest, I was always afraid that I would not be able to be at par with my colleagues in the United States but I swiftly realized that not only could I keep up with the dancers here but I could stand out as a dancer.” -says Laura
Performers and artists alike know how challenging it is to establish themselves. The key to success involves consistent efforts, and Laura not only worked hard, but her work ethic preceded her, and both her skills and talent made her stand out.
Having faced the challenge of being a Mexican dancer establishing herself abroad, and having studied under extraordinary artists such as Ani Javian, Jesse Young, Robert Burke, Marielis Garcia, Keith Thompson, Heather Favretto, or John Evans, under whom she trained in Repertory, Graham, Limon, Release Technique, Afro Fusion, Flamenco, Bachata, Cumbia, Samba, Capoeira, Kathak, and other dance styles, it’s no surprise that over the years, Laura performed in a wide range of projects, becoming one of the most sought-after and versatile dancers and choreographers internationally.
One of the accomplishments Laura is the most proud of, is her involvement in a Lar Lubovitch choreography in 2017, at the Joyce Theater in New York, known globally as one of the premier venues for dance performances.
“I was very lucky to be casted in this project because not only was I selected to be one of the two soloists in the piece, but performing in the Joyce truly is the holy grail as a dancer.” -says Laura
Lar Lubovich - NYC - 2017
Over the past two years, Laura de la Garza Noble has collaborated with Dance New Jersey, Arts Ed NJ, the Dalton School in NYC and the NYC Department of Education in specific dance education projects.
Through her continued collaboration with giants in the art world such as Chien Yin Wang, Paul Ocampo, Randy James, Camille Moten, Deja Darbone, Willy Laury, Kennyth Montes de Oca, and Kiri Avelar, she was selected for performances that ranged in geographies from NJ, NYC, Miami, Beijing, to Mexico...
In fact, she loves to return to Mexico whenever she has the chance, not only to perform but also to teach and choreograph.
“I am currently working on a dance film project which I am both choreographing and performing in and filming for this project will be taking place in Mexico.”
Currently living in Bergenfield, NJ, Laura's schedule is filled until the end of the year! Besides her performances, Laura de la Garza Noble made her way to passing on her knowledge to a new generation of dancers as Dance Educator for Bogota High School and Middle School, coach for the Dance Team and artistic director of the district's dance company. A teaching artist, collaborator, and performer with OCA Dance based in New Jersey, she is also a choreographer for Ballet Hispanico, and works on building virtual resources for dance and dance education during her free time.
“Currently I am rehearsing with the dance company I am a part of, OCA dance, for work to be presented in a surging festival to be called "Better View Festival". Additionally, I am working on a project to highlight the violence against women currently happening in Mexico, as well as a performance piece about the importance of true balance in life when dealing with the stressors and ups and downs of life. “ -says Laura
Jeeseon Chung Trio - NJ - 2016
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