RDT friends, audience members, and stakeholders,
Repertory Dance Theatre has been the focus of my life and career. At the close of my 59th season, I feel enormously proud of its accomplishments. I am grateful for all the opportunities it has offered me to perform, to teach, to choreograph, to direct, to create and to dream. The many roles that I have enjoyed within this unique organization have stimulated my imagination and offered me challenges that have provided growth while helping me develop a greater understanding of the value of dance in our society.
RDT’s 60th anniversary will be a time of celebration and an appropriate time for a leadership transition that will ensure that this unique company can continue to build valuable programs and sustain its energy in the future.
Effective July 1, 2025, I will transition from my role as Executive/Artistic Director to RDT Director Emerita. At that time, Nicholas Cendese and Lynne Larson will assume leadership as Executive/Artistic Co-Directors of Repertory Dance Theatre. These gifted artistic associates have the expertise and commitment needed to take RDT forward. This transition will focus on both growth and continuity.
Over twelve years ago, a succession plan was implemented that would ensure that RDT would continue to honor its mission to serve the community and the field of dance nationwide. We have been working toward a smooth and efficient leadership evolution, one that fulfills the expectations of the company’s founders.
Virginia Tanner and the Rockefeller Foundation envisioned a revolutionary modern dance repertory company that could perform, create, preserve, and educate. They hoped that the artistic direction could emerge from within its ranks. It has…and it will continue to do so. The bold experiment that was RDT is now a valuable part of our local and national arts culture, and I am confident that it will continue to serve countless people of all ages.
I want to express my gratitude. I have had the privilege of helping to build a nationally respected institution and working with some of the most generous, gifted, and dedicated people on earth. The company has nurtured dancers, choreographers, composers, designers, teachers, and administrators. I have been guided by loyal staff colleagues who have offered their wisdom and encouragement. The support of audience members, board members, and stakeholders has given me courage. The dancers continue to inspire me.
Dance has given me an artistic voice, a way to celebrate and express my concerns about the human condition, society, and the environment. I remain passionately committed to RDT’s mission, and as Director Emerita, I look forward to coaching, setting repertory, refining the company’s archive, and serving the community and the field of dance with pride.
I look forward to every new artistic adventure and hope to see one and all at the “Rose” to celebrate RDT’s 60th anniversary.
Sincerely,
Linda C. Smith
Executive/Artistic Director
RDT Director Emerita
