ALABAMA DANCE THEATRE
KATE SEALE SMITH, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
est. 1986
A moment between student and teacher.
Kitty Seale headshot
Headshot
A moment between student and teacher.
Our Founding Artistic Director
Kitty Seale founded the Alabama Dance Theatre in 1986. Due to her teaching and guidance the Alabama Dance Theatre continues to grow and is recognized throughout the region as a positive training ground for dancers. She was actively involved in dance as a teacher, choreographer for the past 40+ years. Her early study of ballet was with Lucie Stone, Audrey Gryder, Duane Dashion, and George Verdak. More recently she studied the Russian syllabus under Jurgen Schneider and Janina Cunova and the Royal Academy of Dance Syllabus.
Kitty choreographed numerous works for her own and other companies in the U.S. She was selected to attend the 1980 and 1988 National Craft of Choreographer Conferences. Her students have received national recognition and scholarships and have gone to perform with nationally recognized professional groups. The Alabama Dance Theatre achieved Honor Company status in 1992 and continues to represent the City of Montgomery and the State of Alabama in Regional Dance America/Southeast. A Montgomery native and graduate of Lanier High School and Sweet Briar College, Kitty was elected to the Lanier Hall of Fame in 1997. Kitty was a recipient of the 2013 Governor's Arts Award and the 2019 recipient of the Montgomery Advertiser's Community Hero Award. She is married to Turner Seale and has two children, Turner, Jr. (deceased) and Kate who is married to Robby Smith. She has three grandsons, Bennett and Chapman Robertson and Turner Smith and one step-granddaughter Brooke Smith.
About Us
We are located in Alabama's "Capital of Dreams" at the Montgomery Cultural Arts Center on Madison Avenue. ADT is an award-winning, regional ballet company with an eclectic repertoire that includes the 19th-century classics as well as new modern and contemporary works. The company emphasizes serious training for the pre-professional dancer. The training foundation is classical ballet drawing strongly from the Russian Syllabus.
Our regional company started in 1986 with six advanced dancers who were committed to creating a new community space for dance and bringing quality performances to central Alabama. In the past 34 years the company has grown to include 34 company dancers and over 190 students in our school.
In addition to its public performances, ADT hosts a number of educational activities in the community which serves to build our audience and enhance the cultural life of our city.
Giselle and Albrecht share a quiet moment together in ACT I of Giselle
Backstage getting ready
Photo shoot in Downtown Montgomery, Alabama. Photography Credit David Robertson Jr.
Giselle and Albrecht share a quiet moment together in ACT I of Giselle
Our Mission
It has always been the mission of our Founding Director, Kitty Seale, to challenge her dancers technically and artistically, all the while maintaining a nurturing environment where each dancer, regardless of career aspirations, can excel.
We strive to train and educate students in the disciplined art of dance and to educate and develop the future audience for dance in central Alabama.