Bobbi Jene Smith (November 7, 1983) is an American dancer and actress.
She was the subject of
Elvira Lind
Elvira Lind (born October 28, 1981) is a Danish film director based in New York City.
Career
In 2014, Lind's first documentary feature ''Songs for Alexis'' premiered at Hot Docs in Toronto and won many international film festivals across th ...
'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
Centerville is a city in and the county seat of Appanoose County, Iowa, Appanoose County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,412 in the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, a decline from 5,924 in 2000 United States Census, 2000. After ...
. She attended the dance division at
Juilliard
The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...
but did not graduate, choosing instead to drop out at the age of 21.
Career
Dance
At the age of 21 Smith moved to
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
at the advice of
Ohad Naharin Ohad () was the third son of Simeon; he is mentioned in Genesis 46:10.
Ohad may also refer to:
__NOTOC__ People Surname
* Daniella Ohad, American design historian
Given name
* Ohad Benchetrit, Canadian musician
* Ohad Cohen, goalkeeper for Hapoel ...
where she joined the Batsheva Dance Company. She stayed in Israel dancing with Batsheva for 12 years.
Film
In 2012 Smith choreographed the dance piece ''Arrowed'' which she performed with actor
Oscar Isaac
Óscar Isaac Hernández Estrada (born March 9, 1979) is a Guatemalan-born American actor. Known for his versatility, he has been credited with breaking stereotypes about Latino characters in Hollywood. He was named the best actor of his gener ...
. 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
Bobbi is a given name and nickname, almost exclusively feminine and usually a diminutive form (hypocorism) of Roberta or Barbara. It may refer to:
People:
* Roberta Beavers (born 1942), American politician
* Bobbi Brown (born 1957), American ma ...
'' premiered at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival.
Smith made her feature film debut in the 2012 Israeli film ''
Yossi'' in a small supporting role. She also appeared in
Georgia Parris
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
's 2018 dance-drama ''Mari'', where she played the lead role of a woman mourning the loss of her mother.
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.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Bobbi Jean
Living people
1983 births
American dancers