Owning the distinction of being the first Native American Radio City Rockette, Karilyn is currently faculty at American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School (Children’s Division) and Steps on Broadway (Academy), and is an adjunct professor of dance history, tap, and theatre dance at Pace University (Sands College of Performing Arts).

Karilyn holds a Master of Arts in Dance Education and American Ballet Theatre (ABT®) Pedagogy from New York University, where she was recognized for outstanding achievement to the dance education graduate program and has returned to guest lecture about culturally relevant and responsive teaching and curriculum design. Her programming for elementary school students was recognized by Oklahoma City’s Dunbar Elementary School for her outstanding Black History Month programming, and she is currently in the inaugural cohort of the Ailey Horton Teacher Certification program.

Karilyn’s creative work includes choreographing, script consulting, associate choreographing, and dramaturgy for companies including Warner Brothers/FOX television network, Ivoryton Playhouse, New York Free Arts Festival at Little Island, The Muny, and Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre.
In addition to dancing as a Rockette for 10 seasons, Karilyn’s other performance credits include Warner Brothers/FOX’s Gotham, Saturday Night Live, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas National Tour, West Side Story 50th Anniversary International Tour, 17 productions at The Muny and various commercial and print campaigns, including Reader’s Digest and BET/OnBlast.
Throughout Karilyn’s performing career she has represented her colleagues as an AEA and AGVA union deputy and representative, most notably serving on the AEA National Deputy Committee during the Covid-19 Pandemic. As a field representative for Writers’ Guild of America East, she drafted the first master contract for the Non-Fiction department. Karilyn’s language contributions can still be seen in existing collective bargaining agreements.
A citizen of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, Karilyn received her Bachelor of Performing Arts in Dance Performance from Oklahoma City University, where she studied with Jo Rowan and Robert L. Reed. She is an ABT® National Training Curriculum Certified Teacher (Pre-Primary through Level 7/Partnering) and is a member of National Dance Education Organization, Actors’ Equity Association, SAG-AFTRA, Rockettes of Color Alumni Association, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

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DANCE EDUCATOR

“Whether her classes are filled with young children in their first dance class or college students on the cusp of a professional career, Karilyn wants her students to know that the legacy they carry through dance is very valuable. ”

- American Ballet Theatre/SideBarre

Teaching Philosophy

My vision as a dance educator is to cultivate artists’ sustainability in the dance subculture, performing arts industry, and society at large by providing students with the correct tools and skills to promote their individual artistic and personal pursuits.

My lessons are planned with information and embodied learning opportunities that increase technical proficiency, nurture critical thinking, demonstrate culturally germane applications of the subject matter, and empower students to become autonomous, lifelong participants in their education.

Teaching Résumé

American Ballet Theatre
Ballet
NYC, NY
Pace University, Sands College of Performing Arts
(Commercial Dance & Musical Theatre Depts.)
Tap, Dance History, Theatre Dance
NYC, NY
Steps on Broadway (Academy)
Pre-Pro and Select Study Tap
NYC, NY
New York University
Steinhardt, Dance Education Masters Program
Guest Lecturer
NYC, NY
Molloy University/CAP 21
Adjunct Master Dance Instructor, BFA Program
Ballet, Jazz, & Tap
NYC, NY
Oklahoma City University
Guest Ballet Faculty
Oklahoma City, OK
University of Kansas
Guest Speaker (Theatre Dance)
Lawrence, KS
Oklahoma City University
Guest Speaker (Dance Workshop)
Oklahoma City, OK
Soochow University
Student Teacher (Tap)/Cultural Exchange
Taipei City, Taiwan
National Taiwan University of the Arts
Student Teacher (Tap)/Cultural Exchange
New Taipei City, Taiwan
Shuffles, Tap And Musical Theater School
Ballet, Jazz, Group & Private Lessons
NYC, NY
Dance Project Of Washington Heights
Youth Theatre Dance, Adult Jazz / Theatre Dance
NYC, NY
North Jersey School Of Dance Arts
Musical Theatre, Rockette Style Tap Substitute
Hackettstown, NJ
Ballet School Of Stamford
Ballet And Jazz, Rehearsal Director Substitute
Stamford, CT
Muny U (The Muny's Virtual Education Program)
Performing Arts Faculty
St. Louis, MO
Goodspeed Musicals Arts Education Collaboration
Master Teacher In Theatre Dance
East Haddam, CT
First Stage Children's Theater
Theatre Dance/Jazz Guest Teaching Artist
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee Repertory Theater
Arts Education Immersion Guest Teaching Artist
Milwaukee, WI
Stages St. Louis Performing Arts Academy
Theatre Dance/Jazz Master Teaching Artist
St. Louis, MO
Lustig Dance Theatre
Dance Teaching Artist
New Brunswick, NJ
Oklahoma City University
Broadway Bound Summer Intensive
Oklahoma City, OK
Madame Gabriela Darvash Master Classes
Ballet Assistant & Demonstrator for Madame Darvash
NYC, NY
Liberate Artists
Dance Teaching Artist, Master Teacher
NYC, NY
Krupinski Academy Of Dance
Summer Intensive Master Teacher In Precision Jazz & Tap
St. Louis, MO
Rockettes
Group Dance Instructor
NYC; USA; Int'l
Norwegian Cruise Line
Rockette Dance Experience Instructor
NYC; USA; Int'l
Garden Of Dreams Foundation Talent Show
Celebrity Guest Mentor
NYC, NY
Knicks City Dancers
Ballet, Assistant To Kat Wildish
NYC, NY
Dance Theatre Of Harlem
Theatre Dance Assistant for William Wesley
NYC, NY
Rosati-Kain High School
Guest Phys. Ed./Health Teacher - Dance And Body Conditioning
St. Louis, MO
BC/EFA 25th Easter Bonnet
Dancer
NYC, NY
Miss America
Judge (NY State Preliminaries, 2010/2013)
NYC, NY
Oklahoma City Public Schools
Black History Month Elementary Program Developer & Presenter
Oklahoma City, OK
*Award Winning Program

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CREATIVE

Karilyn’s creative work includes choreographing, script consulting, associate choreographing, and dramaturgy for companies including Warner Brothers/FOX television network, Ivoryton Playhouse, New York Free Arts Festival at Little Island, The Muny, and Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre.

Selected Credits

STAR OF FREEDOM
Ivoryton Playhouse
Dir. Jacqui Hubbard; World Premier of a New Musical
GOTHAM
Warner Brothers/FOX
Dir. Nick Copus; Co-Choreographer with Lisa Jantzie
42ND STREET
Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre
Dir. & Chor. Josh Walden
A PART OF THE MAIN
New York Free Arts Festival at Little Island
Assistant Choreographer for Chor. Sarah Dahnke
SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE
The Muny
Dir. Marcia Milgrom Dodge; Chor. Josh Walden
STAR OF FREEDOM
Ivoryton Playhouse
Music and Lyrics by Jeff Blaney;
Book by Lawrence Thelen
42ND STREET
Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre
Dir. & Chor., Josh Walden;
Scenic Design, Kristen Martino;
Lighting Design, Andrew Carson;
Costume Design, Antonio Consuegra

Creative Portfolio

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PERFORMING ARTIST

In addition to dancing as a Rockette and representing the company as a brand ambassador for 10 seasons, Karilyn’s performance credits also include FOX’s Gotham (co-star), Saturday Night Live (featured dancer/showgirl), Irving Berlin’s White Christmas National Tour, West Side Story 50th Anniversary International Tour (Consuelo; Anita & Rosalia u/s), Smokey Joe’s Café at The Muny (standby performer), and various commercial and print campaigns, including Reader’s Digest (cover model) and BET/OnBlast (voiceover).

Selected Credits

Gotham
Co-Star & Choreographer
Warner Brother/Fox
Best Of The Couch
Voiceover Principal
BET/BET.Com

Saturday Night Live
Featured Dancer
NBC Universal

Norwegian Cruise Line
Rockette Spokesperson
Madison Square Garden Entertainment

America’s Got Talent
Pitbull Dancer
NBC Universal
Who Is Jordan Bishop?
Lizzie Piper
Theaterlab
Dir. Noah Racey
Kicking And Screaming
Nothing Beneath The Sun (Tap Dancer)
Symphony Space
Dir./Chor. Noah Racey
Empire
Minnie
Staged Reading
Dir./Chor. Marcia Milgrom Dodge
Bubbling Brown Sugar
Ensemble
Staged Reading
Dir./Chor. Stepp And Seth Stewart

Radio City Christmas Spectacular
Rockette
Radio City Music Hall
Dir./Chor. Linda Haberman
Irving Berlin’s White Christmas
Ensemble
National Tour
Dir./Chor. Randy Skinner
West Side Story
Consuelo; Anita & Rosalia U/S
Bb Productions International Tour
Dir./Chor. Joey Mckneely
Memphis
Beale Street Ensemble
North Carolina Theatre
Dir./Chor. Robert Hartwell
The Wiz
Ensemble
Broadway Sacramento
Dir. Glenn Casale, Chor. Gerry McIntyre
Guys & Dolls
Mimi
Broadway Sacramento
Dir. Charlie Repole, Chor. Michael Lichtefeld
Mamma Mia!
Dance Captain/Ensemble
Stages St. Louis
Dir. Michael Hamilton, Chor. Tony Gonzales

The Will Rogers Follies
Ensemble
Goodspeed Musicals
Dir. Don Stephenson, Chor. Kelli Barclay

Guys & Dolls
Featured Havana Dancer/Martha/Ferguson
Milwaukee Repertory Theater
Dir. Mark Clements, Chor. Stephen Mear
Joseph…Technicolor Dreamcoat
Simeon’s Wife/Mrs. Potiphar U/S
Stages St. Louis
Dir./Chor. Stephen Bourneuf

Anything Goes
Virtue
Goodspeed Musicals
Dir. Daniel Goldstein, Chor. Kelli Barclay

Seven Brides For Seven Brothers
Martha
The Muny
Dir. Marc Bruni, Chor. Pepper Clyde

My One And Only
Minnow/Tap Soloist
The Muny
Dir. Marc Bruni, Chor. Niki Harris

Oklahoma!
Ensemble
The Muny
Stroman Version: Dir. Rob Ruggiero, Chor. Ginger Thatcher
Demille Version: Dir. Paul Blake, Chor. Gemze De Lappe
The Producers
Ensemble (Showgirl Track)
The Muny
Dir./Chor. Bill Burns
Irving Berlin’s White Christmas
Ensemble
The Muny
Dir. Paul Blake, Chor. Kelli Barclay
Dances For Solidarity
Dance Artist
Brooklyn Studios For Dance
Artistic Director, Sarah Dahnke

Lustig Dance Theatre
Ballet Soloist
New Brunswick, NY
Artistic Director, Graham Lustig
Aida (Opera)
Corps De Ballet
Opera Pacific
Dir. Chor. Michele Assaf

Production Photos

Print Modeling

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PRESS

“Education is freedom, and the more you know, the more free you can be.”

- Karilyn, in American Ballet Theatre/SideBarre

Karilyn has been featured in numerous national and regional publications as a performer for various theatre companies, and, most recently, as a faculty member at American Ballet Theatre in the organization’s behind-the-scenes blog SideBarre.

Selected Press

American Ballet Theatre & Trossman, L. (2025, October 12). Faculty Profile: Karilyn Ashley Surratt. SideBarre. https://www.abt.org/blog/sidebarre/
Staff reports. (2022, April 19). Ivoryton Playhouse staging ‘Star of Freedom,’ a love story in a time of strife. CT Insider. https://www.ctinsider.com/shoreline/article/Ivoryton-Playhouse-staging-Star-of-Freedom-17090577.php
OKCU Dance & Entertainment. (2021, March 18). In Depth with Karilyn Ashley Surratt [Social media post]. Facebook.com. https://www.facebook.com/OKCUDance/photos/a.1021720377857898/4379915045371731/?type=3
Caldwell, R. (2021, April 27). Fashion forward: 3 pros share what goes into their dancewear choices. Dance Spirit. https://dancespirit.com/dancewear-fashion/#gsc.tab=0
Valedez, E. (2019, December 13). ‘White Christmas’ cast member shares recipe for vegan treat. The Hammond Times.
Irving Berlin’s white Christmas returns to Tulsa performing arts center. (2018, November 20). KJRH. https://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/irving-berlin-s-white-christmas-returns-to-tulsa-performing-arts-center#google_vignette
Watts, Jr., J. D. (2018, November 18). Sharing in the spirit: ‘White Christmas’ actress credits Tulsa with dance career. Tulsa World, p. 51.
Fischer, M. (2017, September 24). In ‘guys and dolls,’ Milwaukee rep evokes a bygone time and timeless love. JSOnline. https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/arts/2017/09/24/guys-and-dolls-milwaukee-rep-evokes-bygone-time-and-timeless-love/690214001
Kicking off cancer awareness. (2009, Oct 1). Orlando Sentinel, p. B5.
Medlin, J. (2009, June 18). What it’s like to be a rockette: Karilyn Ashley Surratt. St. Louis Magazine. https://www.stlmag.com/What-It-rsquos-Like-To-Be-a-Rockette
Associated Press. (2007, August 2). A kick for Rockette’ roots. Newsday, p. 6.
Keaggy, D. T. (2007, August 2). Radio City Rockettes get a star. St. Louis Post-Dispatch, p. B1, B10.
Teusink, L. (2004, September 20). Triple threat u. Dance Spirit, pp. 62-63.