Dance studio greets new leadership

Dawn Smith-Theodore, founder of A Step In Time School of Dance, will commemorate 20 years of teaching dance at her studio in Calabasas with a celebration and grand re-opening in her honor at 5:30 p.m. Sun., Sept. 21 at the studio, 4505 Las Virgenes Road, Ste. 102A, Calabasas.

Smith-Theodore is taking time off as the studio's artistic director to write a book and help teachers guide dancers in nutritional values and eating disorder prevention.

The new artistic directors are producers/choreographers of Hep Creative Productions-LA, Brandy Smith from Thousand Oaks and Devin Curry from Seattle, Wash. The couple met in college at the University of Redlands 10 years ago and plan to wed later in the year.

Smith is a professional dancer, teacher, adjudicator, and faculty member of CHAMPS Charter High of the MultiMedia and Performing Arts. She has danced with Christina Aguilera, Whitney Houston, and was the assistant director to Otis Sallid for the inaugural opening ceremonies of the Middle East International Festival in Abu Dhabi.

Smith has worked with youth ballets in Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Her students have gone on to dance at School of American Ballet Theatre. She also writes for Dance Spirit Magazine and other dance news sources. Smith helps local dance companies with fundraising and grant writing.

Curry is a professional actor, writer, producer, and host of a weekly webisode on Shazap.com. He started acting at 7 years old and has appeared in more than 100 commercials and TV/film spots. He is on faculty at the Lee Strasberg Institute. He hopes to start his own youth musical theatre and acting ensemble at A Step In Time and to increase classes in acting, musical theatre, and theatre dance.

"Our energy and passion comes through as soon as you walk through the doors. The studio is unique in many ways. Our teachers all went to college and have degrees in their style of dance. Our dancers are wellrounded, talented in ballet, tap, jazz and hip-hop. We have the most supportive parents and faculty," said Smith.

For more information, call the studio at (818) 880-8152 or visit www.AStepInTimeDance.com.

To contact Smith, e-mail Brandy@AStepInTimeDance.com.

To contact Curry, e-mail Devin@AStepInTimeDance.com.