Simply Smiddy - The Idaho Convert

There are three major things that keep me sane in this life.  I like to call them my own little crucial tri-formula of surviving each and every single day I live on this planet we call Earth.  These three things are simple... they all come down to the unconditional love I possess for each an every one of them... they are: my loving family, my loving heavenly father and all he has blessed me with, and my passion for dance. These three things keep me sane.. they keep me functioning. they keep me stable and if you were to take one thing out of the formula it would throw off the whole equation.  These three things play a crucial part in my life and they are ultimately my 'key' to happiness. Family is something I think we would all agree is crucial to living our lives each and everyday. They are the people that are there to love and care for you, no matter what. Even when my family and I disagree on something and even when we argue to the point that it seems nothi...

I Believe in Dance             I believe in dance because when dancing a personality is expressed that you might not see normally. I believe it is a way to escape into a whole different world to find your happy place. Dance clears your mind of all other emotions you might feel in your life. I believe as a dancer you can lose yourself in the music and the movement. “The truest expression of people is in its dances and its music. Bodies never lie” (Maleah Diggs). Dance is my therapy, my getaway, my happiness.   Often when you ask a dancer why they dance they reply with some sort of comment along the lines of ‘why do you breathe’ or ‘it is my life’. There is only one way we can truly connect the idea that ‘dance is life’, the instrument through which the dance speaks is also the instrument through which life is lived: the human body. It is the instrument by which all the primary experiences of life are manifested. It holds...

Way back in my diaper days I spent a majority of my time blasting the radio and dancing along to what I thought was the beat. My family  didn't  have much living in a small trailer, but we had enough for a young girl to use her imagination and think about what her passion would eventually be. Taking dance classes was not an option when I was young, my mom worked as a cosmetologist at Wal-Mart and my dad worked as a delivery guy for Fed-Ex, but I learned some moves from the TV. Every time Dancing with the Stars came on I would try to dance along with the people on the show and learn to do what they were doing.  Dancing was something I was born to love and do. It  wasn't  until five years after my mom moved away from my dad that I was actually put into a dance studio. The day I walked into the studio I remember the overwhelming joy I felt, I knew that dancing was where I belonged. I didn’t exactly know at the time why I had the love I did for danc...

As many of you know I made the spontaneous decision to change some major things in my life the summer of senior year and especially a week before senior year started. WHAT and WHY? First, I changed from the AMAZING Diva Dance Company in Blackfoot to the AMAZING Dance Factory in Pocatello. This had nothing to do with which studio was better or which teacher was more qualified, but it had everything to do with just taking an opportunity to spend more time dancing. Let me explain slightly what I mean; The Dance Factory has the option to hold six classes at a time in their studio because of the way it is built so basically I have the opportunity and I am taking the opportunity to dance at least 5 hours a night, sometimes more, at least four times a week. I also have the opportunity to travel to bigger conventions that Diva Dance didn't travel too. Growing up at Diva Dance was one of the best things I could have ever asked for and without Wendy Schild I would not have the love and t...

This year at Open Dance Nationals I was honored to choreograph a duet with Gabe Wistisen. Many ask when Gabe started dancing.... A month before nationals. Why? Well... I called him and asked if he would do a duet with me and he said, "um.. sure" and I said, "good cause I already paid for it!" haha. Gabe worked really really hard for a month to learn not only the new choreography, but the basics as well. Gabe has taken tap classes, but other than that he was not informed of the technique needed to pull of a contemporary dance. Gabe has also been in many plays so I knew that he would be a good option as a duet partner because he would perform with his face. We were really nervous to compete at Open Dance Nationals because we were entered in the Advanced Contemporary division for age 17. We were honored to not only take first, receiving high gold and king/queen, but we also were honored to make the National All-American Team! Which only the top fifteen dancers are...

A view from the top of the stadium! Yes I performed in front of that HUGE crowd. One Step Closer to achieving my biggest dreams! I have been blessed with so many amazing opportunities in my dance career and performing at the Jazz vs. Lakers game beats them all. I was incredibly blessed to perform at Energy Solutions on April 14th, 2014. It was the Utah Jazz's last game and it was against my all time favorite Los Angelous Lakers! It was very tempting to wear my Lakers jersey, but i decided since I was performing with the Utah Jazz Dancers I should probably represent them.  Being in the stadium, on the floor, with the Jazz players is an experience I will never forget. I was standing within inches of some of the greatest basketball players. As they warmed up and we marked formations I was able to talk to some of them. They would pass the ball back and forth barely missing an arm or leg or your face! It was really funny because as they passed the ball back and forth they would t...