You may have seen the up-and-coming dance star Kamryn Smith, 11, from Phoenix, Arizona, grace your TV screen a few years ago, but now she is back dancing on national television for a second time and she’s bringing her mother with her.
BlavityU had the chance to speak with the graceful dancer about being a part of Come Dance With Me, her experience on Dance Moms, dancing alongside her mother and more.
Smith is no stranger to being a team player while working hard on the dance floor, having early time calls, and lengthy two-hour practices —
“It’s all worth it,” Smith said. “It’s totally worth it at the end. Some days I’m usually like, ‘I don’t feel like going to dance,’ but it’s so worth it to go because you have so much fun. You have friends there, and it’s like home.”
She and her mother, Adriana Smith, show what it takes to be the ultimate dream team as they battle against other dancing families. Kamryn and her mother worked on choreographed routines daily in preparation for the show.
“I whipped her [mom] into shape, but then she got better each week, and it really showed throughout all the dances,” Kamryn said jokingly. “My favorite part of dancing with my mom is I know that she has my back, and if we look stupid, we look stupid together.”
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In terms of who was the Kamryn’s competition onset, the two shared that every family had its strengths and weaknesses.
“Pretty much everybody has their strengths and their weakness. So everybody was maybe not good at something but amazing in others. So we had to step up our game with the ones [areas] that they’re good at,” Kamryn said.
She made her dancing debut on Abby Miller‘s hit TV show Dance Moms three years ago. Kamryn’s time on Season 8 of the reality dance show was short-lived due to racial discrimination and mistreatment by Miller. She later issued an apology via Twitter to both Kamryn and her mother.
Since leaving the show, Kamryn has enjoyed her time on Come Dance With Me deeming it less stressful than her dance mom’s experience.
“What was different [about the shows] was the positive environment and encouragement. It was just, like, so much like it was fun. It wasn’t stressful. It was like, fun. You went in, and even if you got eliminated, it was still fun. You had no regrets,” she said.
The young dancer gives herself positive reminders in terms of how she holds her crown through all the ups and downs of her profession.
“I don’t know how I stay positive. It’s just like, ‘remember that you have another chance,’ and it’s not the end of the world,” Kamryn said.
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Kamryn wants to show the world that no matter how small you might physically be or how small someone else tries to make you feel, you can make a significant impact through hard work, drive, and passion.
“I feel like dance is not always about the skills and holding your leg up to your face for an hour,” she said. “It’s just about how you feel about it and how you feel in the moment. If you feel like just like moving and not doing any tricks, do you, it’s not really about the tricks.”
“For other kids who want to dance, don’t hold back for anybody. And even when people tell you are bad or something, don’t hold back. Just keep doing your thing,” she added.
If there was one person she could dance with, given a chance, it’s safe to say “Beyonce” has Kamryn’s heart.
Come Dance With Me, the new family dance competition series airs Friday on CBS.
