My name is Mary Meadows Smirl and I am the owner/operator of The Dancer Within. I began my dancing journey as a student of Mary Rowley Hesson at the age of 5 and continued on with her until I became one of her instructors myself. Life and career demands have moved me from Maryland, to Virginia, to Ohio, to Georgia, and finally back to my beautiful home place of Huntington, W.V. All along the way I continued my education in dance while clocking in many hours teaching and performing. I have worked on many shows in the Tri-State area since my return 16 years ago, making my artist's tapestry rich and warm with the color of experience and the threads woven of love, laughter and friendship.

For First Stage Childrens Theatre my credits include Assistant Director for "Annie," "Joseph and The Amazing Technocolor Dreamcoat" and "A Christmas Carol," costume designer for "Peter Pan" and "Bye Bye Birdie", choreographer for "Good Man Charlie Brown", "Bye Bye Birdie","School House Rock Live", "Showcase 98", "2000," and "2003","Seussical The Musical", "Honk", and most recently "CATS". For Huntington Outdoor Theater I have written and directed one children's pre-show as well as choreographed two of them. My onstage credits locally are as follows, Annie Oakley in "Annie Get Your Gun", Babette the feather duster in "Beauty and The Beast", Sally Brown in "Snoopy", and Magenta in "Rocky Horror Picture Show."Over the past four years I have taught at both Elite and Premier Dance studios and enjoyed every child and life I have been touched by. It is at this time in my life I am blessed to be able to strike out on my own, to discover MY Dancer Within, through a different perspective. I hope you will join me on my journey. There are many more eight counts and beats left to be moved to and many characters left to explore.