Welcome to Thrive
Dance Artistry
Thrive Dance Artistry is committed to nurturing the love for dance in every individual. Our highly educated and experienced instructors create a supportive environment where students can grow with their unique goals and express themselves freely. Thrive aims to be a place where everyone feels accepted and empowered, regardless of their background or skill level. We believe in the transformative power of dance and strive to inspire our students to reach their full potential.
Meet The Director
Lacee Fortune
Lacee started dancing at the age of two in Austin, Texas. It was there that she discovered her passion for the art form and trained in various styles including jazz, lyrical, modern, contemporary, hip hop, tap, classical ballet, the Cecchetti method, pointe, and even clogging. She continued to compete in these genres for thirteen years, winning multiple regional and national titles. She has worked individually with many renowned choreographers across the country, touring as a teaching assistant with Co. Dance and iHollywood Dance Convention. She has been fortunate to assist Tyce Diorio, Robert Roldan, Brooke Pierotti, Melody Lacayanga, Gregg Russell, Jessie Riley, Barry Youngblood, Tucker Barkley, and more.
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In her teens, she was a professional dancer in Reverence Dance Project, company apprentice for Justin Giles’ SoulEscape Company, back up dancer for Omar “Phoenix”, and the proud founder of Captivate Dance Project. She started her choreography career for competitive dance students at the age of 15, and has since earned many choreography awards across the country, including automatic acceptance into the Project Creation Choreography Competition in Orlando, Florida. She can also be found in the Amazon Pilot of "Hysteria" directed by Shaun Cassidy. Some of her former students can be found dancing at The Juilliard School, University of Southern California, professionally with Nederlands Dans Theater, Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, New York City Rockettes, and more.
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In May 2018, she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Dance and minor in Kinesiology from Texas Tech University. There, she further developed her skills as a leader as the President of the University Dance Company [2014-2017] and a member of Dancers With Soul: Hip Hop Team. Significant works from her college career include, “The Altar Boyz” musical for the Lubbock Community Theatre, the Monterey High School Pop Show, and her concert work “Indebted to You” for the Texas Tech University Fall Dance Festival. She was also commissioned to dance Dr. Ali Duffy's professional work, "Undertow" at the Robinson Hall in North Carolina [2017]. After graduation, Lacee moved to Los Angeles to further study her individual artistry. She trained with the industry's top artists at Millenium Dance Complex, ML studios, Playground LA, and Edge Performing Arts Center.
In 2019, she wanted to further dive into her passion for dance education and moved to Dallas, Texas. There, she became the competition director and lead instructor for a studio in McKinney, Tx. In three years, she built a strong foundation for their competition company, received several choreography awards, and helped them win a multitude of 1st place and specialty awards at the largest competitions in Texas.
Since then, she has moved back to Austin to be nearer to her family as she started her own, and plant the roots for Thrive Dance Artistry. Now, she can be found chasing around her very sweet, smart, and energetic little toddler. He is the light of her world!
Lacee's mission in creating Thrive Dance Artistry is to create a mentally and physically safe place for students to train and truly thrive in their everyday lives. She encourages dancers to build their self-esteem and stand up for what they believe in. Her goal is to inspire youth to become respectful, talented artists/humans that give back to their communities.
