Jennifer Nairn-Smith

Jennifer Nairn-Smith is an Australian-born dancer, actress, and choreographer whose career has spanned classical ballet, Broadway, film, and television. Before establishing herself on stage and screen, she trained at the School of American Ballet, the institution founded by choreographer George Balanchine. Her instructors there included Madame Felia Dubrovska, Muriel Stuart, Madame Danilova, Pierre Vladimirov, Stanley Williams, and Balanchine himself. That training led to her acceptance into the New York City Ballet, where she performed from 1963 to 1968 at Lincoln Center in New York City.

Following her years with the NYCB, Nairn-Smith transitioned to Broadway, appearing in two original productions between 1971 and 1972. She was part of the original cast of Follies and subsequently appeared in Pippin, both of which became landmark productions of that era.

Her work in film and television includes the Bob Fosse autobiographical musical All That Jazz in 1979, the film adaptation of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas in 1982, and the television production Return to Eden in 1983. She also appeared as the protagonist in the music video for the song Wandering Star by the band Poliça.