By Mayra Parrilla Guerrero
Mykesha Smith, a social media star and TV personality, is helping children with something near and dear to her heart.
Smith, who lives in Charlotte and goes by the stage name “Keeshlinooo,” has broken a lot of barriers. Standing at 3-foot-5, the 32-year-old has lived a long life, defying the odds since birth when she was diagnosed with a respiratory condition due to dwarfism. It did not stop her from following her dreams of dancing.
“I was doing couple classes here and there, but not too much,” she said. “Kinda after that, I realize maybe I should just sit back and just like take class for fun or get into just learning and teaching simply because I felt like with my height was not what they look for,” she said.
Aside from an entertainment career, Smith is also a dance teacher at Julius Chambers High School.
“I was actually subbing before that year, before I got into the school system,” she said.
Smith was born in Clemson, South Carolina, but moved to Charlotte in 2006. The Livingstone College alumna majored in social work and was a member of the cheer squad.
“I never went to the social work field, literally because as soon as I graduated, that’s when I started doing social media really heavy,” she said.
Smith has built a large social media following by dancing, an activity she is passionate about.
“Once I graduated college, I started working at the dance studio,” said. “I was doing videos for about a couple of months on Instagram and became popular.”
That was in 2017, and looking back, Smith has done much, including a movie she’s been cast for. Though she declined to give details, Smith did reveal her character.
“My character is literally me, like I don’t have a name,” she said. “My character’s name is Keeshlinooo.”
The movie is Smith’s second. She made an appearance on a film produced for the streaming TV service Tubi called “Danksgiving,” released in 2023.
Aside her work in movies, Smith is no stranger to the entertainment industry. In 2019, she was part of the cast of “Little Women: LA,” a reality TV show on Lifetime featuring women with dwarfism. Most of her content includes dancing videos.
Smith said although she is staying in North Carolina, she wants to move to Atlanta to pursue more movie roles.
