Laura Smeak studied dance at the Washington Academy of Ballet, School of American Ballet, and the Harkness House for Ballet Arts under the direction of David Howard in New York.

She then joined the Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève under the artistic direction of Patricia Neary and George Balanchine and quickly became a soloist. She continued her career with the Opernhaus Ballet in Zurich.

She has danced as a soloist in many ballets of Balanchine’s repertoire, such as Apollo, Concerto Barocco, Western Symphony, Symphony in C, Rubies, Agon, the Four temperaments, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the Prodigal Son with Baryschnikov at a gala in Geneva.

She has also performed roles as a soloist in choreographies by Alvin Ailey, Todd Bolender, John Cranko, Birgit Culberg, Mats Ek, Ben Stevenson, and Rudolf Nureyev. Returning to the ballet of the Grand Théâtre de Genève under the direction of Oscar Araiz, she participated in all of his creations.

In 1993, she was appointed dean of dance classes at the Conservatoire Populaire de Musique in Geneva and a few years later at the Conservatoire de Musique in Geneva.

She was the director of the Geneva Dance Academy for 10 years. Since then, she has devoted herself entirely to teaching. In addition to these activities at the Popular Conservatory of Music, Dance and Theater, she taught classical dance at the Conservatoire de Sion, as a guest teacher for the State Diploma training at CEFEDEM in Normandy, and at the Ballet Junior in Geneva.

Since summer 2013, she has been a certified Zena Rommett Floor-Barre® teacher.

In 2016, as part of continuing education for dance teachers at the Conservatoire Populaire, she regularly taught this method. She was named “Mentor” of the Zena Rommett Floor-Barre®.

From April 2017 to December 2020, she was president of the Swiss Federation of Dance Schools.

Since September 2020, she has been a guest teacher in numerous schools, and has acted as jury for exams and competitions in Switzerland and abroad.

She is currently a teacher at the Igokat Dance Academy, as well as a freelance teacher.