Kaila Carter was born in Washington D.C. and began dancing at a young age. In her youth, she took classes at various studios and spent her summers studying at intensives, including, but not limited to, The Rock School, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Dance Theater of Harlem, and the Paul Taylor Dance Company. For high school, Kaila attended Duke Ellington School of the Arts where she majored in dance and was under the tutelage of skilled and dedicated teachers such as Charles Augins, Sandra Fortune-Green, and Katherine Smith.

 

At Ellington, Kaila was given the opportunity to perform with artists Patti LaBelle and Smokey Robinson, among other exciting experiences. During this time, she was also given the opportunity to be a founding member of the pre-professional dance company Visions Contemporary Dance Ensemble, now known as Katherine Smith Contemporary Dance Ensemble. Kaila is an alumna of Butler University, where she graduated in May of 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Dance/Arts-Administration and a minor in creative writing. At Butler, she participated in full length ballet productions, like The Nutcracker and Swan Lake and in contemporary roles such as Little Blue Devil by Susan McGuire and Catching Shadows by Cynthia Pratt. While pursuing her degree, she was also able to grow choreographically and was given many opportunities to showcase her work, including a piece of hers being featured on European stages.

 

Soon after graduation, Kaila joined Ballethnic Dance Company, where she performed as a company member for two seasons and taught ballet to young students. She was also chosen to participate in Dance Canvas’ 2019-2020 choreography showcase for emerging artists. Kaila is currently dancing with Confluence Ballet Company for their inaugural season and is excited to be joining the Hill Dance Academy Theatre team.