Karma Smart
Karma Smart’s passion for dance began in 1996, particularly, dances of the African Diaspora. Soon after beginning the study of West African dance in Hawai’i she began to
perform at public events. While living in Hawai’i she studied and performed West African, Afro-Brazilian, Congolese, jazz, Haitian and hip-hop dance styles. In Hawai’I she helped form the dance company of Sankofa based on the Big Island with whom she performed at schools, museums, and events on Maui and Oahu and the Big Island while completing a degree in Cultural Anthropology in 2000. In 2002, in order to expand her learning opportunities as a dancer and to attend graduate school, she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. A few months after arriving she was invited to join the long standing Congolese
dance company, Fua Dia Congo of which she was a member for three years. After graduating from the California Institute of Integral Studies she was presented with the
opportunity to teach West African and Congolese dance while in an internship in Brazil.
Currently, and for the last fourteen years she has consistently focused on studying Afro-Brazilian dance. In addition, in April of 2013 she was asked to collaborate in forming a
new Congolese dance company by the young visionary choreographer, Vivien Bassoumina.
It is Karma’s life passion to share her experience of personal healing and liberation through
music and dance. Karma currently teaches adults, teens and children of all ages dance at
various community organizations, dance studios, wellness centers, fitness centers and
schools. She has recently performed as a company member with Omi Tutu Dance Collective. In addition to dancing for Damasceno Dance Collective for the 15th Anniversary and Yemanja Festival. As well as dancing as a guest artist with Maracatu Pacifico for the annual Cuba Caribe Festival in March of 2017. Karma also enjoys performing in the SF
Carnaval Parade and other local celebrations annually. In Dec of 2019 she acted, danced
and choreographed for Kola: An Afro-Diasporic Remix of the Nutcracker, a production of The People’s Conservatory. Most recently, she performed in the Yemanja Festival with the
Damasceno Dance Collective at BrasArte in February 2022. Currently, Karma teaches dance classes for adults called World Dance Workout at Cedar Rose Park, where she incorporates the dance styles of the African diaspora from West African, Congolese, to Afro-Beats and samba to name a few. In addition, for the last ten years she has taught as a
guest dance teacher at St. Mary’s College High School as well as taught a variety of movement arts from gymnastics, circus arts, yoga and kung fu and more for Fitness In
Transit, at various schools and camps. Teaching children movement arts is her passion and inspires her daily.
