Katlyn Addison, Principal Artist at Ballet West, started her professional ballet training at ten, attending the National Ballet School of Canada and Ben Stevenson Academy of Houston Ballet. She joined the Houston Ballet’s corps de ballet in 2007 and earned the Sarah Chapin Langham Award at the Youth America Grand Prix in 2008.
In 2011, Katlyn joined Ballet West, advancing to Demi-Soloist in 2014, Soloist in 2016, and First Soloist in 2018. She made history in 2021 as Ballet West’s first Black female Principal Artist and received the Utah Division of Fine Arts & Museums’ Performing Arts Fellowship Award.
Her repertoire encompasses classical, neoclassical, and contemporary works, including principal roles in productions such as John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet and Onegin, Adam Sklute’s Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty, and George Balanchine’s Jewels. She has also performed in works by William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, and Jerome Robbins. In 2016, she became the first Black principal ballerina to portray the “Sugar Plum Fairy” in William Christensen’s The Nutcracker.
Katlyn has also performed in world premieres by Christopher Bruce, Stanton Welch, Val Caniparoli, Nicolo Fonte, and many others. She has taken on principal roles at the 68th United Nations Civil Society Conference and with the Scottish Ballet. In 2022 and 2024, she was featured at the Kennedy Center’s “Reframing the Narrative,” performing works by Donald Byrd and Jennifer Archibald.
Beyond performance, Katlyn is also a choreographer. Her works include The Hunt, Hidden Voices, Eden for Ballet West, Unnamed for the Utah Arts Festival, Saint George, Composer Violinist, Fenceman for the University of Utah, and Sanctuary for Kansas City Ballet. There Were TWO, currently touring in Canada for Ballet Jörgen, The Cuban Cavalier for Gateway Chamber Orchestra, and Outside of US for Ballet Des Moines.
Featured in publications such as the Huffington Post, Pointe Magazine, and Dance Magazine, she also appeared in Miu Miu Woman’ ‘s Tales and “Let’ s Talk Utah.” In 2024, she became Pointe Magazine’s Fall cover story dancer.
She holds a Cecchetti Method of Dance diploma and certification from American Ballet Theatre, pre-primary to Level 5, and teaches at multiple universities.
Honored by Microsoft’s The Legacy Project and featured in Black Utah: Stories of a Thriving Community, Katlyn is committed to community engagement, volunteering with the Redlining Project, ICANDO, Curly ME, and serving on the Utah Black Artist Collective board.
