Dance as Storytelling: The Choreographic Vision of Lauren Overstreet

February 2025

Kathryn Hoang

The stage is the canvas and your dancers are the paintbrushes.” For Lauren Overstreet, choreography is more than movement—it’s visual storytelling. When a song speaks to her, it inspires her to translate it into something more comprehensive. But her journey into directing hadn’t always been straightforward.

As the Founder and Creative Director of the Atlanta Contemporary Dance Company (ACDC), Overstreet took an unconventional path. She began as a dance instructor for children and later spent years working a corporate job. But when the pandemic hit, she was met with an opportunity to create something new in the dance community. The transition came with a steep learning curve but her vision and deep connection to music held her steady.

Her creative process is heavily rooted in intuition. She allows the music to guide her. “If there’s a song that speaks to me, that’s where it starts,” she explains. She envisions how emotions take shape on stage by utilizing her dancers as well as props and lighting to set the scene. These techniques allow her performances to tap into universal emotions which are what make Overstreet’s work resonate with so many. One particularly memorable piece, Hallelujah, struck a chord with herself as well as the audience who shared how deeply they connected to it.

As for what’s next, Overstreet says she’s trying to focus on the present. Rather than planning ahead, she focuses on what’s currently at hand. Through movement, music, and emotion, she hopes to create experiences that leave lasting impressions and performances that don’t just entertain but move people.