Crazy Smooth
Artist Voice
B-boy Crazy Smooth in conversation with Banff Centre’s Chris Lorway promises to be a thoughtful and revealing meander through Smooth’s foray into the traditional performing arts milieu. As a self taught street dancer, his path into the theatre world required a whole new lexicon and focus on relationship building. How he makes work now, how he thought about his art then and where he wants to go next are all on the table for discussion!!!
Crazy Smooth
Benin born B-boy Crazy Smooth is one of Canada’s top street dance ambassadors, a choreographer, dancer, instructor, judge, and community leader. In 2004 he founded Bboyizm, an award-winning dance company that has earned an international reputation for authentic street dance theatre works.
Bboyizm’s In My Body won four 2022 Dora Awards including Outstanding: Performance, Original Choreography; Performance by an Ensemble; and Achievement in Design. Crazy Smooth’s contributions to street dance were recognized at the 2023 Dynastie awards in Montreal, where he was named Dancer of the Year. Later that same year Crazy Smooth was named the Executive and Artistic Director of 10 Gates Dancing Inc, completing a conversation that he and 10 Gates founder Tedd Robinson had been having before Tedd’s unexpected death in 2022. Crazy Smooth brings his authentic street dance aesthetic and years of teaching experience to this new role where he plans to continue Tedd’s work promoting the development and performance of contemporary dance creations across Canada, now with a focus on the street dance community.
Chris Lorway
Interviewer
Chris Lorway is the President and CEO of Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Chris brings senior leadership experience across a broad range of artistic disciplines in both Canadian and international contexts. Well-positioned to strengthen Banff Centre’s position as Canada’s creative leader in arts, leadership, and convening, Chris has a proved record as a global influencer in arts and culture.
Chris is a Canadian citizen, born and raised in Cape Breton, and comes to Banff Centre from his recent position as both Executive and Artistic Director at Stanford Live in California. His artistic and community programs draw on the breadth and depth of Stanford University to connect performances to the significant issues, ideas, and discoveries of our time in a season featuring over 200 performances and events across four primary venues.