RAEDIANT MOVEMENT
Erica ‘Rae’ Smith, is the Founder and Artistic Director of Raediant Movement, LLC. Erica is a Philadelphia native, who received her B.F.A in Modern Dance from The University of the Arts and has worked as a dancer with dance companies such as New LeJa Dances, Mahogany Dance Theatre, Tania Isaac Dance, Valerie Branch Dance Ensemble and Lesole's Dance Project. Erica has trained in many styles of dance ranging from Ballet, Modern, and Jazz to South African and Jamaican Dancehall. She was an instructor with the Dance Institute of Washington’s Education and Outreach Program, a Resident Artist OCT VS High School, in Toms River, NJ and multiple private dance studios within Prince George’s County, MD. Erica Rae has presented choreography as a part of Connecting Vibes USA & UK Educational and Performance Dance Company, in St. George’s, Grenada and was selected as a 2018 recipient of The John F. Kennedy Center, Local Dance Commission Project. Erica began Raediant Movement, as a traveling dance workshop, with the intent to connect and advocate for the inclusion of Jamaican Dancehall, and other dances of the African Diaspora in her local dance community, by providing workshops, lectures, and classes in both Philadelphia, Tri-State & The DC Metro Areas . Since that time Raediant Movement, LLC now operating as a dance company hosting dance classes, events and performances across the Washington, DC Metro area and now virtually. Erica serves as the, choreographer, instructor, rehearsal director, production manager and dancer within Raedient Movement, LLC.
Shatiea Blount is the Company Administrator and co-owner of Raediant Movement LLC. She joined Raediant Movement’s Training to Stage program in 2017 and became a full dance company member in 2021. Prior to joining Raediant Movement, Shatiea served as drummer and board member with Lesole’s Dance Project (LDP), a South African dance and drumming company. In 2013, she helped to coordinate LDP’s international performance and served as a volunteer and cultural ambassador at FINDAZ Dance Festival in Iquique, Chile. She co-developed the workshop, State:Trait – Supporting Compassion for Mental Health through Community-Based Somatic & Movement Explorations, with Jessica Denson as part of Jessica Denson’s graduate research. State: Trait was presented at Loyola University-Maryland’s “Shades of Resilience: Mental Health in Communities of Color Conference (2018),” twice at the DC Coalition for the Homeless, and Hillcrest Children and Family Center. She continues to develop professional development workshops that incorporate dance and movement to address mental health, customer service, and team building within organizations. Prior to any formal dance involvement, Shatiea enjoyed the social dance scene, particularly Dancehall and other African diasporic social dance forms. Currently, Shatiea oversees the administrative and managerial responsibilities of Raediant Movement, LLC. Wearing many hats, she performs, serves as a rehearsal director, and a production manager for the company.