What My Teacher Taught Me: South Chicago Dance Theatre’s Kia Smith On Her 3 Dance Mentors
Early Ballet Teacher: August Tye
August Tye is the co-founder of Hyde Park School of Dance, formerly the Hyde Park School of Ballet. In the early 2000s, I had no money to train but really wanted to pursue dance and didn’t start taking traditional studio dance classes until I was in high school. Even after she gave me a scholarship, it was still not enough. So she created work-study opportunities that were great professional development and allowed me to be able to take the classes every day.
August is someone that looks out for people and takes care of them, and that impacted me. She really invested in me, even though I was not the star student. She was my ballet teacher at the studio, so technically she really helped me build strength and clarity. I was just hungry and I loved to dance.
One thing August taught me that still stands out in my mind as a choreographer and director, and that I try to instill in artists I work with, is to always be working. She didn’t want people to be in class just watching on the side while another group was going across the floor. She wanted us actively marking it, figuring out what you need to do with your body, or work on a specific performance quality you want to [add] on the combination, or do PT.
Her advice became foundational for how I work. It not only helped me improve as a dancer, but it also taught me how to work in this industry. If you’re always on the side waiting for something, you might be waiting forever!
First Director: Lula Washington, Lula Washington Dance Theatre
Lula Washington was my director, but the way she directed was like a teacher. I was only there two seasons, but I learned a lifetime of information about how to run an organization, how to make things work when they’re not working. Because of working with Lula, I didn’t wait for someone to give me a grant or a performance opportunity. If I had waited, I would never have started a company. I watched Lula create things from nothing, or have a disappointment and bounce back to have something wonderful come out of it. Her hustle, mentality, faith, and resilience were instilled in me.
I remember watching videos of Lula in her 20s talking about how hard she worked, and the big hopes for the company in the future. She was unashamedly herself. It made me feel like I could do this and start my own company.
The Mentor: Kate Weare
The person who’s impacted me most recently is Kate Weare. She’s a North Carolina–based filmmaker now, and has been a New York–based choreographer for over 20 years. I followed her work when I was a college student and when I was a dancer. During COVID, when everything was shut down and lots of companies were streaming performances, I watched ODC streaming one of the works that Kate made on them. I knew I needed to meet this woman. I needed to find out how her brain works, to understand how she thinks about dancemaking. At that point in my career, I hadn’t really delved into dancemaking. I had built the scaffolding for my company, I was bringing in choreographers, and was dabbling at making work in the studio, but I felt like I had no idea what I was doing.
I received a fellowship at Jacob’s Pillow, and the Pillow supported my mentorship with Kate for about 10 hours. I think I used up the time in a week! Kate has been supporting me since 2021—giving me feedback on my work, taking phone calls to let me pick her brain. I ask her about how to handle situations with dancers or how to connect with people that will commission my work. She’s been a really big part of my support system. I was shocked at how generous she is. I assumed big choreographers don’t have time [to talk] about my work!
In 2023, I had funding to make my first evening-length work with a live band at The Auditorium Theatre, which is the biggest theater in Chicago. It’s [almost] a 4,000-seat theater so I was freaking out. I remember calling Kate to share the good news and she said to me “Kia, I’m going to be here for you!” She was a sounding board, and she came up for the week leading up to the premiere, sat with me in tech rehearsal, mostly being a friend. I feel like everyone needs that.
I love commissioning new work, and from the beginning, I’ve made sure my dancers have equitable salary and benefits. Two seasons ago, I commissioned Kate to make a [piece] on my company. I remember the week of tech when she reminded me not to prioritize the other choreographers’ work over my own. Sometimes I can get so caught up in doing [things] for everyone else that I forget that I’m here too. Kate helped me define my own artistic vision and how that is integrated into my company.
I already had a heart for mentorship and supporting other artists, but I think after working with Kate, I feel strongly that I’d like to make it an even bigger part of my practice. The best advice Kate has given me is to listen to what I sense inside, because there’s so much noise everywhere, especially on social media, where you compare yourself to this person or this trend. Recently I’ve thought about what presenters or funders want, so it’s like my business mind and artistic mind are competing. Kate has reminded me over the years to carve out space for myself as an artist, because that’s what will drive my work forward, like a compass.
