BLYTHE E. SMITH

Blythe E. Smith dancing at the age of three in South Jersey. Her training includes The Rock School for Dance Education, Columbia City Ballet, Ballet Magnificat, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, and Atlantic City Ballet. Blythe was offered scholarships to attend Joffrey Ballet, Boston Conservatory, and SUNY Purchase. She attended The University of the Arts on scholarship and graduated with a BFA in Ballet Performance in 2004. She was offered a trainee position with Ballet Magnificat in Jackson, MS in 2005. Her performance credits include Regional and National Dance America Festivals and soloist roles in The Nutcracker, Paquita, Swan Lake, Les Sylphides, and The Sleeping Beauty, all performed at The Merriam Theater in Philadelphia, PA. Blythe was a member of Alchemy Dance Company for seven years and danced several performances of new work throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. She danced extensively in a touring Tina Turner Review show entitled Simply the Best for four years. Blythe was a member of Danse4Nia Repertory Ensemble for five years in which she also choreographed for the company and taught on faculty for the Danse4Nia Conservatory. As a part of D4N she danced in performances such as Thelma Hill Dance Festival and Pentacle Dance Works. Blythe has been a dancer with DanceSpora, under the direction of Heidi Cruz-Austin, for three years. This year she joined Klassical Contemporary Ballet Company. In the Summer of 2012, Blythe completed the Lester Horton Pedagogy Workshop at Alvin Ailey. In 2014, Blythe graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in Dance from Temple University this past spring and has been presenting choreographic works in Philadelphia as well as designing new curriculums. In Summer 2014, her pas de deux, Pales in Comparison was performed at the Koresh Come Together Festival. She has also presented work in the Outlet Dance Project, ReasonsLegacy 2NY and ETC Performance series. She is a dance instructor, choreographer, and coach for several studios throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania and has worked in the Philadelphia school system under the organization PAEP, Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership. In addition to teaching, Blythe has worked counseling young dancers for Ballet organizations including CPYB, Ballet Magnificat, and American Ballet Theater. Blythe is the Associate Artistic Director and founder of Magnolia Hill Studios: Art and Dance, a studio dedicated to sharing a love of the visual and performing arts with children. She has choreographed and directed eight full-length shows for MHS. In January of 2015, Blythe had the opportunity to set a piece entitled, Watermark on Pennsylvania Ballet 2. It was commissioned specifically for the program One Book, One Philadelphia at the Philadelphia Public Library. Blythe was a recipient of the Temple University Project Completion Grant to complete her MFA thesis concert and the Rose Veronica Choreography Award. On April 1, 2017 Blythe presented a full concert of new, self choreographed work entitled, UnShifting Shadows at the Performance Garage in Philadelphia, PA.