A Brief History of the Shapiro & Smith Dance Company

Established in 1987, Shapiro and Smith Dance has enjoyed enthusiastic receptions for performances and residencies across the U.S. and in Europe, Asia and Canada. Presented by major festivals and venues including The Joyce Theater, Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors, Britt Festivals, Festival di Milano, the Korean International Festival and the RurhFestSpiele, the company has garnered praise from critics and audiences alike. The dancers perform tales of absurdity, anger and beauty with a unique blend of breathtaking physicality, acid wit and psychological insight. By creating a formal context for the emotional content of their work, Danial Shapiro and Joanie Smith have gained a reputation for dances that are accessible and intelligent, hilarious and provocative. The company performs with a combination of no-holds-barred athleticism and emotional depth that has earned them a stellar international reputation.

Founders/Choreographers Danial Shapiro and Joanie Smith collaborate to create their own work. Drawing upon each other's skills, they interact to develop material and direct the choreographic process. Shapiro and Smith met during their years dancing with the companies of Murray Lewis and Alwin Nikolais. After striking out on their own in 1985, they spent a year in Helsinki, Finland on a Fulbright Lectureship grant awarded to Ms. Smith. There they created their first collaborative works. Since then, their work has been commissioned by companies as diverse as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble; Phoenix Dance Company of Cardiff, Wales and the PACT Dance Company in Pretoria, South Africa. For their work together, Shapiro and Smith have received a Choreographers Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, an American Choreographer's Award from The National Corporate Fund, the Paul Taylor Choreographic Fellowship from The Yard, two Fellowships in Choreography from the New York Foundation for the Arts and the Metropolitan Life Foundation's Emerging Artist Award.