What My Teacher Taught Me: Billy Smith
April 17, 2015

Smith in Morris’ Crosswalk

Like many dancers-in-training, Billy Smith—now a member of the Mark Morris Dance Group—needed to temper his energy with a healthy dose of technique. At George Mason University, he found a mentor in modern teacher Susan Shields.

“I think I met her at the right time in my training. I came into college with a lot of enthusiasm, but I didn’t have a lot of refinement. She really homed in on my technique and approach to dance. She had a great perspective because she’s a ballet-trained dancer who got into modern afterwards. I really wanted to be a modern dancer, so I connected to her technical approach to it.”

The Mark Morris Dance Group will perform at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, April 22–26.

Photo by Stephanie Berger, courtesy of MMDG

Subscribe to our newsletters

Sign up for any or all of these newsletters

You have Successfully Subscribed!