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Sonya Smith loves movement, in all its forms, on the ground, in the air, and all the places in between. Smith’s own choreography, presented in Portland, Kansas City, and San Francisco, often combines aerial apparatus, props, modern dance and contact improvisation. She is newly excited by creating movement for theater productions such as Vanguardian productions Truce and upcoming productions of Crowded Fire’s Forever Never Comes and Berkeley Playhouse’s Cinderella Enchanted. Her choreography and collaborations with Courtney Moreno have been seen at ODC/Fresh Meat, Dance Mission Theater/SKYDANCERS: women who fly through the air, Jon Sims Center for the Arts, CounterPULSE and 848 Community Space.  In the spring of 2006 she was awarded a residency from the Jon Sims Center for the Arts to create innovative, site specific aerial dance work.  In 2007 she returned to her hometown to set the piece Groundbirds on Kansas City’s City in Motion dance company.  Video footage of a new duet, performed a the 2007 SkyDancer's festival can be found here: http://artsalivesf.blip.tv/#947194 (Sonya Smith and Alayna Stroud, "skimming the tacoma narrows").

In 1997 Smith obtained a BA in Biology, with a minor in dance, and began dancing professionally in Minneapolis, Portland, and the Bay Area. Since arriving in San Francisco in 2001. As a performer she has been honored to work with incredible Bay Area artists including, Rapt Performance Group, Dance Ceres, Kim Epifano/Epiphany Productions, Eat Cake Productions, , Zaccho Dance Theater,Lizz Roman and Dancers, Project Bandaloop, Keith Hennessy/Circo Zero,Dance Brigade’s Great Liberation Upon Hearing, and Berkeley Playhouse’s productions of Peter Pan, Singin’ in the Rain and a guest appearance in Cinderella Enchanted. 

From 2002-2005 Smith worked as the facilities manager and core member of the group managing 848 Community Space and CounterPULSE.  As a member of the Board of Directors, she coordinated construction of CounterPULSE’s new theater space in the SOMA district of San Francisco.  Her work continues to be a fiscally sponsored project of CounterPULSE.