Meet Kim Smith

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kim Smith. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kim, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

Dance has always been a part of my life. When my youngest daughter was diagnosed with autism I felt so unsure and overwhelmed and honestly worried that I wouldn’t know how to be the best Mom I could be for her. She was diagnosed at 18 months and it took me a long time but I knew I wanted to do something that would make a difference for her and other children like her. So when she was 5 years old with the help of Miss Donna, I started A Chance To Dance.
Finding purpose through my passion for dance helped me to start a program that gives children with special needs a place to express themselves, connect with others, grow in a safe space.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I’m 58 years old, married to my wonderful husband Chris. I have 3 beautiful daughters, 2 wonderful son in laws and I have 4 awesome grandchildren. My family is everything to me and they are so very supportive of my dance program.
My husband spends his weekends taking care of our daughter who has special needs so that I can be at the dance studio teaching. My oldest daughter is also a dance teacher at another studio where she lives and does choreography for my students as well. My middle daughter is also a special needs Mom and her little girl also dances with my program. So dance is very much a part of our family.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

These 3 things are immediately what I wanted to share:

Empathy: Highly sensitive people are extraordinarily skilled at “seeing” others and knowing what they
need — which includes kids with special needs.

Purpose: Purposeful movement can spark passion not just in dance, but in other aspects of life, turning movement into something meaningful beyond.

Accepting change: Spurs creativity and innovation: It pushes you to think in new ways and explore different approaches, which can lead to creating a fun and safe environment.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

My Mother encouraged me to choose my own interest from the time that I was very young through high school. She afforded me the opportunity to be a part of all the things I loved which included dance, gymnastics, and baton twirling.
Dance, you see, is more than just a series of steps. It’s a living, breathing chronicle of who we are and where we’ve been and I had no idea as a much younger girl that the very gift my Mom gave me would make a difference for so many others later in my life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://a-chance-to-dance-charlotte-nc.weebly.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/achancetodance_clt/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/achancetodancenc/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AChanceToDanceTheMovement