JAM with Shana Simmons

We loved talking all things dance with Shana Simmons!  Jam Fam, we hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did.

Shana Simmons 

BA DANCE Point Park University 2003 (Pittsburgh)

MA Choreography Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance 2009 (London)

New York City:
Simmons lived in New York City for four and a half years and performed with choreographers such as Noemie Lafrance "Agora", Alexandra Beller, Tomé Cousin, bigGRITS dance co, Debra Wanner/ Amy Larimer, Amanda Drozer, and was a company member of white road dance media. Whilst in New York, Simmons was chosen to present work at the HATCH Series twice, through Jennifer Muller Works. Simmons also taught for the Internationally acclaimed National Dance Institute, founded by Jacques D’Amboise, for three years.

London:
She performed and choreographed with companies and choreographers such as Flat Feet Dance Company, Stacy Abalogun and Nadine Doran-Holder and independently presented work at the Reverie Dance Festival in Ghent, Belgium. Simmons collaborated with the visual art company Artmongers, in two site-specific works in London and Simmons has performed her own works in New York City, Belgium, London, Chicago, Boston, and Pittsburgh. Simmons has presented at APAP, pearlPRESENTS Dance Festival, the Next Stage Residency, SpringUP Dance Festival, New Moves Festival, The Three Rivers Arts Festival, and Evolve Productions.

Pittsburgh:
SHANA SIMMONS DANCE(SSD),  was founded in 2009 by Artistic Director Shana Simmons to create unique and engaging contemporary dance. Simmons is a movement artist who creates immersive dance theatre works that have a heavy focus on research as practice.  Simmons and SSD have produced a variety of works in Pittsburgh since 2012: Relative Positions (2012), PASSENGER (2014), Objective I (2015), The Missing Peace (2018), ELEVATE (2019), IN/BEtween (2022), Living Landscapes (2023). SSD has received support from the Heinz Small Arts Initiative, The Pittsburgh Foundation, PACE Capacity Building, the Kelly- Strayhorn Theater & the National Aviary.

In 2021, the company received a $100,000 grant award through the Arts. Equity. Reimagined. Fund for a collaborative project to discuss race and age diversity in dance, generating discussions related to the Pittsburgh dance scene and ways of creating sustainable futures for all types of dancers here in Pittsburgh. Along with this new endeavor, the companies (SSD, Bianca Johnson & Dancers, Chrisala Brown, and XRconnectED) filmed in 360-degree format, creating a new virtual work blending different dance styles, with community at its core center. The company has also created the Constructed Sight Dance Film Festival, an international online film festival which hosts an in-person Opening Night Event, an online Artist Meet & Greet, and an online Dance Film Workshop.

Simmons has been commissioned to choreograph for Texture Contemporary Ballet, Indiana University of PA, Point Park University, the VALEES Conference, & Leadership Illinois Conference. Simmons is trained in Graham technique, has worked with various release based choreographers and teachers, values non-gender based partnering as integral to her choreography, and is trained in various Garuda method pilates/yoga classes. Simmons has been a nominee for the Carol R Brown Award (2016), received Pittsburgh’s Best Dance award (2014, 2015, 2018) and independently teaches within the community, taught at Point Park University for the past ten years, and is Part-Time Faculty at Seton Hill University. 

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