Ava Schmidt

Ava Schmidt is a singer, dancer, and actress from St. Louis, Missouri. Growing up, she danced at COCA (Center of Creative Arts) under the artistic direction of former Ailey dancers Antonio Douthit-Boyd and Kirven Douthit-Boyd, training in both Vaganova ballet and Horton modern techniques, as well as tap, musical theatre, and hip-hop dance styles. Ava continued her education at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan earning a BFA in Musical Theatre Performance, a BA in Dance, a BA in Spanish, and an MA in Hispanic studies. Throughout her time at Western, Ava worked with many industry professionals such as Paul Stancato, Paul Cassidy, and Christopher Patterson. She was also fortunate to be cast in the Winter Gala Dance Concert through the Department of Dance, as well as many other student showcases and choreography projects. And, even with her busy lifestyle, she made time to study abroad in Santander, Spain to perfect her Spanish language skills. Ava’s favorite onstage credits include: Jesus Christ Superstar; Hairspray; Mamma Mia at The Muny, Smokey Joe’s Café (DeeLee Track); All Shook Up (Sandra); Church Basement Ladies (Signe, Dance Captain) at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre, and Bright Star (Ensemble, Dance Captain); A Swinging Chris tmas; The Holiday Music of Tony Bennett (Swing, Associate Choreographer) at Farmers Alley Theatre. Additionally, she is currently a background dancer for the band Muo Duo here in NYC! While she loves to perform, Ava has also developed a passion for working with and teaching kids. During her time in grad school, she served as a first-grade teacher’s assistant at El Sol, a bilingual elementary school, helping students understand concepts when the language barrier was an issue. Upon moving to the city, she started working as an elementary school dance teacher, and with 90 kids aged 5-11, produced a showcase with 7 different dance numbers. Ava aspires to create an energetic, collaborative, and stress-free environment that emphasizes the importance of process over product.