Amara Tabor-Smith

Amara Tabor-Smith began her career in the Bay Area as a member of The Ed Mock Dance Company and has worked with other local choreographers such as Anne Bluethenthal, Priscilla Regalado, Pearl Ubungen and Joanna Haigood. Amara is the former Associate Artistic Director and dancer with The Urban Bush Women Dance Company of New York City. She also has a background in theater which includes work with Anna Deveare Smith, Herbert Siquenza, The SF Mime Troupe and Make-A-Circus. Amara choreographed and performed in Aya de Leon’s piece, “Thieves in the Temple” and between 2006-2007, toured with Hip Hop poet/ performer Marc Bamuthi Joseph in his dance theater piece “Scourge”. Amara’s choreography has been performed in The SF Street Theater Festival, Shotwell Studios and in Shakti Butler’s documentary film, “Making Whiteness Visible” in which she also appears as a dancer. In November, 2006 she choreographed and performed in the Z Space production of Suzan-Lori Parks’ Play, “365 Plays/365 Days”. Amara is an Urban Bush Women Community specialist, having facilitated community engagement projects in Chicago, Flint, MI, and Tallahassee, FL. From 2001-2002 she collaborated with artist Lauren Elder and Theater director Ellen Sebastian Chang on The Invisible Lines Project; a street theater community engagement project that addressed issues of affordable housing and gentrification in a North Oakland neighborhood. She has taught dance, Capoeira and entering community workshops at Naropa University in Boulder, CO., University of Omaha, NE., Columbia College in Chicago, The Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, NM , Berkeley High School and currently teaches her Roots Modern Technique at ODC Commons in SF. In 2006 she formed her company Deep Waters Dance Theater (DWDT) with a mission of presenting work that addresses issues of race, culture, spirituality and the environment in an effort to inspire social change. DWDT is currently an artist in residence at CounterPULSE in San Francisco. Amara was a 2007 recipient of the CHIME mentorship exchange grant.