Raquel Smith hails from Los Angeles, California, began her training at age six at Lauridsen Ballet Centre. She then went on to train privately with Roberto Almaguer, where she developed a true love for dance. While in L.A., Raquel earned the opportunity to train with Debbie Allen and perform in the prestigious production The Hot Chocolate Nutcracker.

Raquel continued her training on scholarship at San Francisco Ballet School, where she danced alongside the company in performances like The Sleeping Beauty, Yuri Possokhov’s Don Quixote, and Helgi Tomasson’s Little Waltz. In 2019, she joined Richmond Ballet II, where she worked with choreographers such as Val Caniparoli and Levi Marsman. From there she joined Nashville Ballet as a company apprentice where she had the privilege of dancing under the direction of Paul Vasterling and working with several world-renowned choreographers. In 2021 she was selected as one of 11 dancers from around the world to be invited by MoBBallet to be an apprentice for “Reframing the Narrative,” a historic 3-week residency at the Kennedy Center.
During which Raquel danced under the direction of Tony-nominated and Bessie Award-winning choreographer Donald Byrd.

Source:

Raquel Smith, Collage Dance Collective