Lauren Edson

Lauren Edson is the Artistic Director and Co-Founder of LED, an arts organization recognized for its cinematic, genre-defying work. A dancer, award-winning choreographer, director, and producer, Edson began her formal training at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts before continuing at The Juilliard School. She spent several years as a celebrated dancer with Trey McIntyre Project before returning to her hometown of Boise, Idaho, with a bold vision: to build a sustainable, risk-embracing artistic community rooted in excellence. Her work is deeply human—exploring the moments, emotions, and memories that remind us of our shared humanity.

Described by The Seattle Times as “a choreographer of the first rank,” Edson’s work has been commissioned and presented by institutions across the country, including The Kennedy Center, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, White Bird Dance, Northwest Dance Project, San Francisco Dance Film Festival, Dance Camera West, Winspear Opera House, McCallum Theatre, Ballet Idaho, Whim W’Him, Houston Met Dance, Eisenhower Dance Ensemble, SALT Contemporary Dance, and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, among others.

Her accolades include the 2022 Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, a 2021 Alexa Rose Fellowship, and two ICA Performing Arts Fellowships (2015, 2021). She is also the recipient of the 2019 Washington Award for Excellence in Choreography and has earned top honors in several national choreography competitions, including the Pretty Creatives International Choreography Competition (Northwest Dance Project), Dance Under the Stars Choreography Festival (Grand Prize), Milwaukee Ballet’s Genesis International Choreography Competition (Audience Favorite Award), and Western Michigan University’s Great Works Choreography Prize.

In 2015, Edson co-founded LED with her husband, composer Andrew Stensaas. Since its inception, the company has remained at the forefront of artistic innovation—placing Boise in an ongoing global arts dialogue. LED was named one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch” and praised by The Seattle Times as “an important addition to the art scene in the Northwest.”

Lauren is also a proud mother to two sons, Finn and Liam.