Kaitlyn Louise Smith

About Kaitlyn

Kaitlyn Louise Smith is an New York City-based actor, dancer, and choreographer with a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre and Dance from Indiana University who has had over 10 years of experience in teaching and adjudicating dance. She is thrilled to be teaching her first year at Interlochen after most recently being on the First National Tour of Mean Girls. While touring, Smith created an initiative called @changeisfetch that partnered with youth art organizations and schools to raise money and teach masterclasses across the country. Additionally, Smith has taught for college programs including Manhattan School of Music, University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Southwestern, and Indiana University, and has choreographed for performance youth organizations such as the “Muny Teens” in St. Louis. She has adjudicated for several dance and musical theater competitions, including the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, and was faculty for the National Dance Institute in New York City.

What is most important to me when my students leave my classroom is that they leave feeling encouraged, empowered, and inspired to create. Mentorship is critical in a vocation that relies upon the passing down of technique and training, but if effective, breeds inspiration for independent innovation and creativity. It’s not just about cheerleading for me, but also about being a positive example. 'If I can do it, you can too.'