Emily Smith Govinda

I started dancing when I was young after my mom put me in dance classes. She always wanted to be a dancer herself but grew up in a family where they didn't really have money and had lots of sisters involved, so she never got the chance. At first, I hated it and wanted to quit every day - I would just cry. But after a while, I learned to love it, and it became not just a hobby but an outlet for me. I never stopped dancing. Today, I'm still a performer doing fire dancing and breathing, stilt walking, and different specialty acts, but dance is still the core of everything. I also produce events now. During the week, I'm searching for different events happening in the world and trying to get in there in more of a sales producer role, getting performers into events. On weekends, I'm either at those events making sure everything runs smoothly, or I'm performing at them. I did a double major at USF in dance and mathematics for education, and I was a math teacher at a high school. When I quit to become a full-time dancer and performer, my mom was kind of scared, but she's always supported me and helped me through it. I took classes with Aerial Dragons and ended up producing for them now. If I had to pick my most notable professional achievement, it would be Coachella - being able to perform at Coachella and just enjoying the event as well.