Bobbi Jene Smith (born November 7, 1983) is an American dancer and actress.

She was the subject of Elvira Lind's documentary Bobbi Jene about her decision to leave the prestigious Israeli dance troupe Batsheva to try to choreograph her own pieces in America.

Early life and education

Smith was born in Centerville, Iowa. She attended the dance division at Juilliard but did not graduate, choosing instead to drop out at the age of 21.[1]

Career

Dance

At the age of 21 Smith moved to Israel at the advice of Ohad Naharin where she joined the Batsheva Dance Company. She stayed in Israel dancing with Batsheva for 12 years. [2]

Film

In 2012 Smith choreographed the dance piece Arrowed which she performed with actor Oscar Isaac. Isaac's girlfriend Elvira Lind was in the audience and she began a correspondence with Smith, eventually persuading Smith to let Lind film her for a documentary. The resulting film, Bobbi Jene, premiered at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival.[3]

Smith made her feature film debut in the 2012 Israeli film Yossi in a small supporting role. She also appeared in Georgia Parris's 2018 dance-drama Mari, where she played the lead role of a woman mourning the loss of her mother.[4]

In 2021, Smith co-starred with Or Schraiber in the accompanying film for the album Green to Gold by American indie rock band the Antlers, which involves the highs and lows of a relationship being portrayed entirely through interpretive dance.[5]

References

  1. ↑ FELSENTHAL, JULIA. "Using Her Body as She Sees Fit—No Matter What Society Says". Retrieved 23 October 2018.
  2. ↑ Hacham, Shir. "The Iowan Who Got Herself a Passport to Dance for Batsheva". Retrieved 23 October 2018.
  3. ↑ McNary, Dave. "Tribeca Documentary Winner 'Bobbi Jene' Lands at Oscilloscope". Retrieved 23 October 2018.
  4. ↑ Grater, Tom. "First look at Film London Microwave feature 'Mari' starring dancer Bobbi Jene Smith (exclusive)". Retrieved 23 October 2018.
  5. ↑ DeVille, Chris (March 24, 2021). "The Antlers Debut Green To Gold In New Album-Length Film". Stereogum. Archived from the original on October 1, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
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