Wayne M. Smith
Adjunct Professor of Dance, Department of Theatre & Dance
About Wayne M. Smith (he/him)
Having been a longtime adjunct professor at the University of Memphis since 2008, Wayne, a native of Memphis, TN, is currently a full-time dance professor (visiting assistant professor for 2025-2026). He is also an alum of the university. He holds an MFA degree in Dance from the Ohio State University, plus a BFA in Theatre/Dance (Mathematics minor) from the University of Memphis. Wayne has done extensive full-time residencies at several institutions including Spelman College, Kent State University, Slippery Rock Univesity, and Emory Univesity, plus adjunct teaching at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). His areas of expertise are in contemporary modern dance techniques, dance and theatre improvisation, jazz dance, dance history, composition, pedagogy, mindfulness movement, and ballet basics. Under the auspices of his company SmithWorks, Smith is a multifaceted professional creator, collaborator, choreographer, improvisationalist, designer, teaching artist, producer, and lecturer. Smith also currently does extensive facilitation and performance work including conducting and social justice advocacy in many local Memphis communities through his longtime membership with Playback Memphis, an improvisational, audience-interactive theatre company. He is also a choreographer and teaching artist with Company d, a dance training ground and performance organization in Memphis for dancers with Downs Syndrome. Wayne is also an advisory board member (since 2012), teacher, performer, and presenter with Texas Dance Improvisation Festival (TDIF) hosted annually by universities throughout the state of Texas. Smith has also been a longtime member, choreographer, and instructor for Project:Motion, Memphis’ premier Modern Dance Collective. Wayne serves as a teaching artist for a couple of programs at the Orpheum Theatre Group in downtown Memphis as well. Additionally, he has done short guest artist residencies at the University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg), Houston Met Dance, plus taught for International Association of Blacks in Dance conference in 2024. With the American College Dance Association conference Mid-Atlantic North region, he served as an adjudicator panelist for conference performances in 2022.
Education
M.F.A. in Dance - Ohio State University
B.F.A.in Theatre/Dance (Mathematics minor) - University of Memphis.