RDT's Executive/Artistic Director Awarded Distinguished Alumni from the University of Utah College of Fine Arts

Repertory Dance Theatre is proud to announce that Executive/Artistic Director, Linda C. Smith is being awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award by the College of Fine Arts and the University of Utah for the discipline of Dance.

The Distinguished Alumni Awards celebrate the legacy of excellence the College of Fine Arts has established in art, dance, film, music, and theatre and its continued impact on the creative capacity of all disciplines at the University of Utah.

A native of Utah, Linda C. Smith began her career in dance at the age of four withVirginia Tanner's Children's Dance Theatre. In 1966, she become a founding member of Repertory Dance Theatre where she fulfilled her dream of becoming a performer, teacher, choreographer, writer, producer, and eventually the Artistic Director.

Her performing experience spans more than 90 works. She has taught in more than 1,000 schools, bringing the magic of dance to students and teachers with her unique demonstrations, lectures, classes, and professional development workshops. Smith has dedicated her life to making the arts relevant and to communicating the value of dance in the life of a community by encouraging audiences of all ages to imagine, create, and communicate with the language of movement.

For more than half a century, RDT has pushed the boundaries of modern dance, while preserving and celebrating its legacy. It was radical when Linda Smith and other Utah modern dancers beat out the big city stalwarts to receive a Rockefeller grant establishing Repertory Dance Theatre as the nation's first repertory Dance Company. Today, Smith continues to push the boundaries by commissioning new work and re-staging historical masterpieces.

Linda Smith and other well-deserving alumni (Brad Smith, Tori Baker, Adelaide Sinclair, and Jeff Frank) will be honored next week at the Legacy Assembly. Featuring live performances from current students and highlights form the careers and accomplishments of this year's honorees, the Distinguished Alumni Awards Legacy Assembly brings together a community of artists to honor their significant contributions to each respective area.

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