Kristen Smiarowski is a choreographer, dancer and educator. She has taught choreography, dance theatre, improvisation, creative dance and folk dance to children and adults throughout Southern California and has been creating original dance works since 1996. Her theatre-based and site-specific choreography has been presented in various theaters and unique natural and architectural locations, including REDCAT, Automata and the Ballona Freshwater Marsh, among others. She was a recipient of the Six Points Fellowship for Emerging Jewish Artists (2011-2013) as well as awards and commissions from multiple institutions and foundations, including Culture Lab, The University of California Institute for Research in the Arts, The Wooden Floor (formerly St. Joseph Ballet) and Puffin Foundation West.
Smiarowski has designed and facilitated student, teaching artist and professional development workshops for The Music Center and is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor of Dance at Loyola Marymount University. She was a curriculum writer and teaching artist for the ESCAPE (Equitable Science Curriculum Integrating Arts in Public Education) professional development program which focused on the effectiveness of teaching science curriculum through the arts. She has also taught with artworxLA (formerly The HeArt Project), Dance for Veterans and the Center for Movement Education and Research.
Smiarowski’s workshops in schools are inclusive and welcoming and they focus on the social, physical, cognitive and emotional benefits of dancing. She emphasizes the development of self-expression, creative invention, communication, confidence, problem-solving and teamwork skills. Smiarowski engages students through a myriad of themes and topics, including cultural background and heritage, storytelling and improvisation. Any of these workshop concepts can be integrated into core curriculum areas such as Science, Social Science, Math and Language Arts.