About SM2 Dance
SM2Dance is a Phoenix, AZ based dance company founded in 2015. We are a tribe of women who tell movement stories from a distinct feminine, feminist perspective. We work to explore and address complex social and personal issues. Company membership in SM2 is by invitation only. My top priority in selecting company members is working with good, kind women who empower other women. I strongly believe that everyone has the potential to become a beautiful dancer, and I am skilled at bringing out and enhancing other people’s artistic strengths.
The Company
Jasmine Desiree Benton
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Jasmine is a native of Mesa, Arizona and currently lives in Chandler, Arizona with her amazing partner. She has her BFA in Dance Education from Arizona State University, and she graduated summa cum laude in 2016 as the recipient of the Outstanding Teacher Candidate Achievement Award in the area of fine arts. She continues to teach for (and direct) the dance program at Kino Junior High School in Mesa, where she has been for several years, and won the AzDEO Dance Program of Excellence Award in 2020 for the work that she has put in to build her program into what it is today; Kino is the first and only junior high school to receive this honor in the state. Jasmine has been dancing professionally with SM2Dance for years now, and she is so grateful that she gets to live her dreams by doing what she loves, finding her tribe, and making a difference with movement, every moment of every day.
Ashley David
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Ashley is a performer and dance instructor in the Phoenix area. She has been a dance instructor for over 10 years in the high school and studio setting. She has also had the privilege of instructing Dance Production at GCC. Ashley received her Associates Degree in Dance at PVCC and continued to ASU to receive her Bachelor’s Degree in Dance Education. She has been a member of Sara Malan-McDonald’s SM2 Dance Company for about 3 years. She has participated in such performances as Dance in the Desert, Dance West Festival, and Site-Specific Works. She has never worked with a more supportive, kind, caring, strong, and talented group of woman as SM2; she looks forward to many more years of dancing and learning with this group. Ashley would also like to mention she has a beautiful family. She would not be so successful without the love and support of her husband, son, step-daughter, and parents.
Melissa Landon
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Melissa is a native of Salt Lake City who is learning to find beauty in the desert. She received an MA in TESOL (adult ESL) from Brigham Young University and a BA in Linguistics with a minor in Modern Dance from the University of Utah. As the only company member without a dance degree, she considers herself particularly lucky to be part of SM2. Dance has been one of the main threads throughout her life, however. Melissa was introduced to the joys of dancing when she joined the Virginia Tanner dance program at age 3, followed by Children’s Dance Theatre from age 7 to 18. Some of her favorite memories came from growing up in the studio and backstage. Melissa is now the mother of four children, who continually inspire her to learn & grow. She loves hiking, cooking, traveling, and speaking Italian & French whenever possible. She is married to her best friend, Steve, who continually amazes her with his love and support.
Quita Love-Cheramie
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Quita is a dance artist and professor from small town Idaho. She graduated with a B.S. in Dance from the University of Idaho and an MFA in dance from Arizona State University. She has taught in institutions of higher learning in both Idaho and Arizona and is currently at Glendale Community College in Arizona. Aside from teaching she has also been connected with various dance companies in Idaho and Arizona. She has been involved with SM2 in various capacities since 2016. Outside of her dance life, she’s been married for 14 years and has four boys and 1 little girl, who is growing up to be tougher than all her brothers.
Dance Galleries
BIRTH!
This is a non-linear, autobiographical dance work that tells my process of becoming a mother: how my babies were born and how that effected me as an individual.
Goddess Rising
Since the earliest times, women have been gathering together in groups to worship, support, heal, share stories, and create. Recently, there has been a resurgence of this tradition. Women from all faiths, histories, and cultural backgrounds have once again started to assemble in intimate gatherings and provide a safe haven where essential female values can be discussed and embraced. In these circles, women learn new ways of relating to one another and are encouraged to accept and “be” rather than change or “do.” At no other time in history has the world been so ready or needed the voice of women so intensely.
Inspired by the concept of women’s circles, Goddess Rising, intimately explores the power of divine femininity. It tells the unfinished story of my life-long spiritual quest to find a connection with a female deity-a Goddess. This is not a comfortable story and the piece might make you think and/or question. Some will see this story as too pagan, too Christian, too angry, too female, not feminist enough etc. Though it is one woman’s story, pieces of it may resonate with every individual’s story. All humans experience times when they don’t fit in and feel they are too much or too little for others. Seeing that someone else has worked through this common struggle can help us understand that while we are unique, our differences are not as dividing as they seem. This recognition can help us connect more deeply with humanity and better appreciate ourselves in the celebration of one woman’s experience.
Sun & Moon in Capricorn
Suns and Moons
Is a three-part dance work based on the zodiac that explores SM2 company members’ astrological signs. This exploration includes sun signs and moon signs as well as the ways in which those signs influence company memebers’ relationships with each other and with the significant people in our lives.
Sun & Moon in Capricorn
Cue for the Loo
A comedic work that explores the frustrations individuals experience when interacting with the automated features in public restrooms.