Shannon Stewart has trained, taught, and performed internationally. Along with years of ballet, yoga, and somatic forms, she has studied gaga, Forsythe improvisation, Skinner Releasing, and CounterTechnique intensively. Her teaching mentors include Crystal Pite and many Gyrotonic Master Trainers. Shannon is certified in four formats of Gyrokinesis and is a Gyrotonic Instructor. She has taught ballet, modern, Gyrokinesis, improvisation, and dance conditioning in universities in the United States and Canada. In 2016, Shannon was selected out of more than 1000 applicants for a danceWEB scholarship to attend ImpulsTanz in Vienna, AU. This year she will return as a teacher/presenter and will also lead the technical practice at SMASH Dance Intensive in Berlin. She has an MFA in Interdisciplinary Dance Performance from Tulane University.

SATURDAY (July 8): This continuing education opportunity is specifically geared toward trained dancers and dance teachers focusing on spinal articulation, core strength, understanding and utilizing the psoas muscle group. We will explore tools for leg extensions, balance, port de bras, and more.

We will begin with a Gyrokinesis warm up in order to build a strong connection between the upper and lower body. We will then talk about how these ideas apply to our physical practice – specifically ballet and contemporary technique. There will be some time for question, answers, and workshopping issues at the end of the session.

Location: Schramel Conservatory of Dance / New Orleans Ballet Theatre studio (920 Terpsichore St.). Class will run from 2-4:30pm. Workshop fee is $30 for 2.5-hour session. Please RSVP to knownmass@gmail.com with a sentence or two about your practice, what you teach or perform, and things you are interested in focusing on. These will inform the topics covered in the workshop!