BE / WITH — Eight Improvisations

ABOUT SHANNON STEWART

Born in the South and raised in the mountains and DIY music scenes of the Pacific Northwest, shannon stewart | screaming traps explores the entanglement of dance with embodied identities, social choreographies, and ecology. Improvisation and being mentored by improvisers and experimental dance makers is at the center of their experience as a dancer and performance maker. To this end she would like to acknowledge Deborah Hay, Kathleen Hermesdorf, KT Niehoff, Meg Stuart, Ralph Lemon, Karen Nelson, Bebe Miller, Kirstie Simson, Massive Monkees, Crystal Pite, Miguel Gutierrez, Chris Aiken, Darrel Jones, Corrie Befort & Beth Graczyk (salt horse), and countless others as well as all of their teachers, AND the entire city of New Orleans for showcasing improvisational mastery. She is extremely grateful for CSF supporting BE / WITH in Kansas City, which was modeled after a similar show in Seattle organized by Paige Barnes and Christopher Hydinger. From 2017 – until the pandemic, Shannon organized BE/WITH in New Orleans with over 100 participating artists.

Shannon has a Masters of Fine Arts from Tulane University in Interdisciplinary Dance Performance and a BA in Urban Design from the University of Washington. She has been a core mentor for ROAR Berlin and a member of the Front Gallery in New Orleans. Shannon is an Assistant Professor of Contemporary Dance at the University of Kansas and lives part time in Detroit, Michigan (Waawiyatanong) with her partner and dog.