Laura Smith
Laura Smith (she/her) began her training in Vancouver, Washington, at Columbia Dance Center under Jan Hurst and later Becky Moore. As her love for dance grew, she explored multiple styles, including ballet/pointe, modern, contemporary, jazz, and lyrical. Laura also attended the Vancouver School of Arts and Academics, where she trained in modern and ballet under Jackie Sacks.
Through Columbia Dance, Laura had the opportunity to travel to The Ballet Alliance’s (TBA) 2022, 2023, and 2024 annual festivals, where she performed original works by professional choreographers, including Carlyn Hudson and Steven Goforth. Through TBA, Laura received guest instruction from leading industry professionals, highlighting year-long studio mentorship from Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet’s Alan Hineline and the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) William J. Gillespie School’s Susan Brooker. Along with the festival, TBA provided Laura a mentorship from two professional choreographers in the creation of her first original work, “Time In a Bottle,” which debuted in June 2024.
During her summers, Laura took part in Columbia Dance’s annual two-week intensive, as well as DaCi USA’s 6th National USA Gathering in July of 2017, and Oregon Ballet Theatre’s Summer Intensive in 2022. Summers provided Laura with the opportunity to immerse herself in diverse styles of dance not otherwise offered at her studio, including salsa, Tahitian, swing, and Fosse.
Laura now finds herself as a Marketing Major at Western Washington University, satisfying her never-ending need to keep dancing by taking classes at school. As a self-proclaimed ballet nerd, Laura is absolutely thrilled to be a part of the OPUS team, bringing the joy of dance to the next generation of dancers.
Through Columbia Dance, Laura had the opportunity to travel to The Ballet Alliance’s (TBA) 2022, 2023, and 2024 annual festivals, where she performed original works by professional choreographers, including Carlyn Hudson and Steven Goforth. Through TBA, Laura received guest instruction from leading industry professionals, highlighting year-long studio mentorship from Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet’s Alan Hineline and the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) William J. Gillespie School’s Susan Brooker. Along with the festival, TBA provided Laura a mentorship from two professional choreographers in the creation of her first original work, “Time In a Bottle,” which debuted in June 2024.
During her summers, Laura took part in Columbia Dance’s annual two-week intensive, as well as DaCi USA’s 6th National USA Gathering in July of 2017, and Oregon Ballet Theatre’s Summer Intensive in 2022. Summers provided Laura with the opportunity to immerse herself in diverse styles of dance not otherwise offered at her studio, including salsa, Tahitian, swing, and Fosse.
Laura now finds herself as a Marketing Major at Western Washington University, satisfying her never-ending need to keep dancing by taking classes at school. As a self-proclaimed ballet nerd, Laura is absolutely thrilled to be a part of the OPUS team, bringing the joy of dance to the next generation of dancers.
