07/22/2021
We are to introduce you to the amazing faculty we have teaching at our ETC August ballet & contemporary Drop Ins Week (August 9-13). Today we feature Peter Smida, Int and Sr Contemporary Classes.
Peter is privileged to live, work and create on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish Peoples: Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations.
Peter is an independent dancer, choreographer, actor and emerging filmmaker based in Vancouver, BC. He is currently the Artist In Residence and the Creative Content Producer with Ballet BC. He teaches for Modus Operandi (Tiffany Tregarthen & David Raymond) and the Arts Umbrella Dance Company (Artemis Gordon).
Born and raised in Kingston, Ontario, Peter moved away from home at the age of 16 to begin his formal training at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. Upon graduating from the RWB, he spent a year as an aspirant where he performed with the company as well as guesting with Ballet Victoria and Ballet BC.
Peter officially joined Ballet BC as a company artist in 2008 and stayed there for the next 11 seasons. There, he created, collaborated, and performed works by internationally esteemed choreographers such as Crystal Pite, William Forsythe, Ohad Naharin, Johan Inger, Jorma Elo, Itzik Galili, Sharon Eyal and Medhi Walerski, among several others. In addition to dancing with the company, Peter has choreographed works and produced films for several workshops and labs as part of the company’s outreach. With Ballet BC he has also served as a rehearsal director and coach is the current Artist in Residence.
Peter’s film “Let me leave so that you may continue” was recently featured on the Tanstheater Wuppertal (Pina Bausch Company) Create’s Platform as part of their Digital Stage Series.
His passion and underlying mission is to explore new ways to create and tell stories with the physical body through the mediums of dance, theatre and film.📸