Kelly Schmidt
dance instructor / preschool program director
Kelly is from Monroe, Michigan where she started tapping at age three at the River Raisin Center for the Arts. She took a break from dance to try gymnastics, then went back to dance when she was ten. She joined a competitive studio in high school and danced through college where she graduated with a BS in Education and a specialty in Dance. She taught dance for four years in Michigan before moving to Oregon and joining the Westside staff in 2019.
In college, Kelly danced for both the dance program and University Dance Alliance where she performed showcases every semester. During her junior and senior year, she began choreographing and her contemporary piece was chosen for the program's Winter Dance Concert. She has attended Motor City Tap Festival twice and has had the opportunity to take classes from Miller and Ben, Chloe Arnold, Gregg Russel, Niko Rubio, and Christopher Broughton.
Kelly’s favorite thing about teaching is watching students have the a-ha moment of learning something new, nailing a tap combo, or fixing a mistake they've been making. When she’s not at Westside, she’s usually at home with her three cats. She also loves hiking, taking trips to the coast, and teaching classes at Barre3, Orenco Station.
Kelly took on the position of Preschool Program Director in the summer of 2021 and has had so much fun getting to know the preschoolers and watching them learn and discover new things! She is grateful to continue sharing her love of dance with all of the students at Westside while helping to grow the preschool program.