“Dirty Dancing' set the stage for DanceAspen founder, comes full circle at tonight's gala

DanceAspen Founder Laurel Jenny Winton was 25 years old when she took an opportunity that would completely transform her life and career track. 

It was 2014, and Winton had reached the most intense level of classical training in her professional ballet career, she said. She was in her fifth season as a company artist with the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago and had just competed as a senior soloist in the International Ballet Competition, which she said is like the Olympics for ballet. 

And Winton left it all behind for a much looser, much dirtier, style of dancing — taking on the role of Penny in the national Broadway tour of “Dirty Dancing.”