Katlyn Addison

As the first black female Principal Artist with Ballet West, Katlyn’s passion for ballet can only be rivaled by her passion for giving back to the community. She is a multifaceted artist, paving the way for the future of ballet through her commitment to her artistry, her love of choreography, and her dedication to teaching a new generation of dancers.

Katlyn Addison was born in Ontario, Canada, and began her ballet training at the age of 10 at the Quinte Ballet School Of Canada. She later trained at Pacific Northwest Ballet, Boston Ballet, and Houston Ballet Ben Stevenson Academy.

Katlyn started her professional career as a Corps de Ballet member of the Houston Ballet in 2007 and, in 2008, she received the Sarah Chapin Langham Award at Youth America Grand Prix. She joined Ballet West as a Corps de Ballet dancer in 2011 and was promoted to Demi Soloist in 2014, to Soloist in 2016, and again to First Soloist in 2018. Katlyn performed as a guest artist in Principal and Soloist roles with the Scottish Ballet in the fall and winter of 2019 to 2020. In 2021, Katlyn was promoted again. This time, she made history by becoming the first Black female Principal Artist at Ballet West in their 58-year history.

Katlyn also acted in a Miu Miu “Woman’s Tales”, a short film that premiered at the Venice Film Festival and on the Prada Miu Miu website in 2017. She made history as Ballet West’s first Black ballerina to dance the role of the “Sugar Plum Fairy” in Frederick Ashton’s “The Nutcracker”. Performance for the United Nations dancing the role of Mother Earth in “Way of Rain / Earth Movement” at the yearly UN conference in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Katlyn has choreographed for Ballet West Academy, individual dancers YAGP from Ballet West, AVA Ballet Theater, Artemotion Adult Summer Program, and Dance Tech in Park City. In 2015 and again in 2018, Katlyn choreographed “The Hunt”and “Hidden Voices” for Ballet West’s Works from Within Choreographic Program, and Utah’s Arts Festival in the Summer of 2019.