About The Center of Dance: The Center of Dance is located in Blacksburg, Virginia in the New River Valley of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. The professional dance studio was established in August of 1994. The Founder and Artistic Director is Carol Crawford Smith, a former dance artist and soloist of ten years with the internationally renowned Dance Theatre of Harlem. As a professional performer, instructor, and educator of dance for nearly 30 years, Crawford Smith is dedicated to providing opportunities and venues to experience excellence in the art of dance.