Andrew Robert Smith

Andrew

Robert

smith

Movement Artist+ Educator

Photo by Dionne Noble

Bio

Andrew Robert Smith is originally from Ingleside, Texas and received his BA in Dance Performance from the University of Texas-Pan American. While at UTPA, he performed with the UTPA Blazers Dance Team, UTPA Dance Ensemble, and UTPA Ballet Folklorico, with whom he performed with at the National College Dance Festival at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts. Professionally, Andrew has traveled the world and performed as a dancer and aerialist with Cedar Point Amusement Park, Carnival Cruise Lines, RWS Entertainment Group, Holland America Line, Regent Seven Seas, and Norwegian Creative Studios. Other credits include “Pepe" in West Side Story (AD Players at the George Theatre). In addition to dance, Andrew is a third generation comprehensive Pilates instructor under the mentorship of Tanya Swayze Miller. Currently, Andrew is a second year graduate teaching assistant at Sam Houston State University where he is a candidate for the Master of Fine Arts in Dance.

Photo by Ana Leal

Photo by Gavin Calais

profile

Education

MFA Dance, Sam Houston State University, In Progress
500 hour Pilates Teacher Training, Lolita's Legacy, 2021
BA Dance Performance, University of Texas - Pan American, 2013

Professional Work

Brazos Contemporary Dance Festival
Texas Latino/a/x Contemporay Dance Festival
Austin Dance Festival
Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Holland America Line
Carnival Cruise Lines
Cedar Point Amusement Parks
West Side Story, "Pepe"

Guest Teaching

Bailando International Dance Festival (2023)

Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, Texas

“Contemporary Jazz“

Brazos Contemporary Dance Festivel (2023)

Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas

“Contemporary Jazz“

American College Dance Festival - South Central (2023)

Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas

"Commercial Jazz" w/Krysta Quiambao

Bailando International Dance Festival (2021)

Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi, Corpus Christ, Texas

"Commercial Jazz"

artist statement

As a dance artist, I aim to link the commercial and contemporary world of movement through humanity and artistry. I ask myself, how can I use the medium of dance, to find common ground among the people of the world? How can my individual voice make an impact on the larger dance community? By mixing the movement vocabulary of these art forms, I hope to create an aesthetic that represents my voice, as a human and as an artist.

Born in south Texas, close to the US/MEXICO Border,I am interwoven with the Mexican-American lived experience. I endure the conundrum of what it means to be not white enough and not Mexican enough everyday. As a male-identifying queer person, I explore the idea of masculinity and how popular culture has shaped this idea, and how my queer identity can deconstruct preconceived notions of what makes a man. I use my personal history, as well as the history of my valued communities, to tell stories of the past and present, in hopes that I can be a part of a more accepting and positive future. My goal is to give voice to those who have previously been unheard and to question what it means to be a queer, latino, male in today’s dance world.

choreography

Aesthetic Pressure

Photo by Dionne Noble

The Dolls

Photo by SHSU CAM

MALAMOR

Photo by Francisco Graciano

Photo by Nick Zack

aesthetic pressure (2023)

This work explores muscle dysmorphia within the male body and the pressure to adhere to traditional masculine beauty standards.

selected to be perfomed at the Brazos Contemporary Dance Festival 2023, hosted by Texas A&M University in College Station Texas

Dancer + Choreographer: Andrew Robert Smith

Light Design: Neal Petz

GPAC Dance Theatre, Huntsville, Texas

Photo by DIonne Noble

malamor (2022)

"Tan bonita que amenza, Cuando callas me das miedo,

Tan fría come la nieve, Cuanda cae desde el cielo

Cuanda sales por la puerta, Pienso que no vulves nunca

Y Si no te agarro fuerte, Siento que será mi culpa..."

selected to be performed at the 3rd Annual Texas Latino/a/x Contemporary Dance Festival in Houston, Texas

Chorerapher: Andrew Robert Smith

Light Design: Jam Martinez

Dancers: Ana Gonzalez, Natalie Gonzalez, Andrew Robert Smith, Jasmin Velasquez

GPAC Dance Theatre, Huntsville, Texas

Photos by SHSU CAM

The Dolls (2023)

“...gotta have some hot stuff, got to have love tonight”

Disco + Donna Summer

Photos by SHSU CAM

Chorerapher: Andrew Robert Smith

Light Design: Nick Zack

GPAC Dance Theatre, Huntsville, Texas

Dancers: Aidan Aloma, Erick Garcia, Ana Gonzalez, Natalia Gonzalez, Cole Hinson, Savannah Ijames, Sheena Kapila, Aubrey Morris, Alexandra Payne, Madeline Payne, Charlee Poulin, Jasmin Velasquez, Kamryn Waldron,

x (2023)

Taking inspiration from sleep paralysis, this dance film portrays the isolation and crushing helplessness faced in positions where we lose power and must simply exist.

Dancer + Choreographer: Andrew Robert Smith

Director/Videographer/Editor: Nick Zack

Performance Reels

Contemporary Dance Reel

Performance Reel

Photo by Michelle Durant

Pilates

"Change happens through movement, and movement heals." - Joseph H. Pilates

Education

500 hour Comprehensive Pilates Teacher Training, 2021

Lolita's Legacy, My Body Pilates, Harlingen, Texas

Jumpboard Anatomy Certification, 2020

w/Eva Texido Font, Harlingen, Texas

Guest Teaching

Isla Pilates + Wellness Retreat (2023)

South Padre Island, Texas

“Reformer on the Mat“ + “Paddleboard Pilates“

American College Dance Festival - South Central (2023)

Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas

"Tower Of Power: Pilates For Dancers"

Isla Pilates + Wellness Retreat (2022)

South Padre Island, Texas

"Power Pilates" + "Blindfold Pilates"

Reviews

Teaching

As a movement artist and educator, I inform my teaching with a special focus on utilizing our corporeal instrument to the best of its abilities. My goal is to train dancers who are knowledgeable about their bodies and can safely push themselves to new heights within their artistic endeavors. In any space I occupy, I facilitate an environment that is welcoming to new ideas and enables participants to find their authentic self through words of affirmation and peer- to-peer encouragement.

For My Full Teaching Philosophy, Please Click Here

Teaching Reformer on the Mat @ Isla Pilates + Wellness

in South Padre Island, Texas - October 2023

You can currently find me teaching at