Darion Smith is founding artistic director of Janusphere Dance Company (JDC). Smith’s choreography has been presented throughout the United States, Spain and Mexico. Darion’s contemporary dance works explore human relationships, identity, and the natural world. His works are often made in collaboration with other award winning artists and include interactive set designs, life size props, and projections. He continues to expand his vision for JDC, since its founding in 2007, as a platform for creation and collaborative exploration, providing opportunities for professional dancers, and community engagement through performances, workshops and masterclasses.
In 2018, Smith was the Artist in Residence at the Pacific Lutheran University. He is a recipient of the Mark Ryder Original Choreography Award. In 2024, Smith was a I AM Creativity Grant recipient for Dance by the Howard County Arts Council. During that same year Smith worked with Howard County public high school dance students as their All County Dance Ensemble guest artist choreographer.

Smith is an associate professor of dance at the Howard Community College, teaching theory and technique to dance majors, non-dance majors, and community member students. He is also the director of the Howard County Community Dance Festival, which offers masterclasses and performance opportunities to the Dance Communities of Howard County and surrounding area. He creates choreographic works for the HCC Dance Concert Season with students and professional artists. Smith served as coordinator for the Estelle Dennis Program for Boys at the Peabody Preparatory of Johns Hopkins University. He has been a guest faculty at the Washington School of Ballet and has taught at the American College Dance Association (ACDA), Northwest and Mid-Atlantic North Regional Conferences, MDEA, Cecchetti East Coast.

Smith is a graduate of the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen, Germany. He studied ballet at the Bolshoi Academy in Moscow. Smith began his professional career with the Dance Theatre of Harlem’s, Dancing Through Barriers Ensemble. He has been performed with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet at Lincoln Center, Buglisi Dance Theatre, New York Theater Ballet, and other professional dance companies. During his time at the Dance Theatre of Harlem, Smith taught for their education and community outreach programs. After twelve years in the professional field, Darion returned to academia as a graduate teaching fellow to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree in Dance from the University of Oregon.