Dance like nobody's watching...

Couldn't be more true...I told my dancers yesterday, that they need to give more back, have more integrity when they dance. They need to take pride in what they are doing, regardless if you think the choreography is easy or simple. For most of them, this is the extent of their dance career, so they need to really be in the moment and enjoy what they are doing...Love it and live in it. Sometimes we forget that our life is happening to us now. So we have to dance that way too...

Shannon Johnson Improvisation

Things I have learned so far this year...

I love dance because it is always changing. There will always be trends and fads, that is inevitable. However, the meat of dance will always be in your plie....

I believe in teaching proper technique and body placement to help the dancer understand how you do it and where it comes from. This knowledge is often left out of the equation and substituted for multiple turns and leg extensions.

I believe that choreography should be suited for the dancers you are working with, especially in the studio setting. The realization that you are choreographing for them and not yourself can be the most important of the young teacher this day and age.

I believe that less is more...

A little about me...

Shannon Johnson grew up in Daytona Beach, FL where she began dancing at the age of 4 at Debco School of Dance now known as Amanda's Dance Center. She studied ballet, tap, jazz, pointe, lyrical, acrobatics, modern, and musical theater. She was a member of ADC Elite. While living in Florida, Shannon was extremely involved in the dance community locally and statewide. She was awarded many awards and won the over-all dancer scholarship with Florida Dance Master's at the age of 18. She performed at many community events such as Volusia County Dances, Central Florida Dance, Volusia County Fair, Remembering Lauren: A night of Song and Dance, and Florida Dance Master's Main Attraction. Shannon particpated in many workshops and conventions classes with numerous icons in the dance world; Joe Tremaine, Frank Hatchett, Gus Giordano, Dee Caspary, Mandy Moore, Lizzie MacKenzie, Randy Duncan, and Patsy Swayze. She was also a part of Jazz Dance World Congress. She left Florida to attend Oklahoma City University's Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Arts Management to study Dance Performance. She studied extensively in ballet, tap, jazz, theater dance, dance pedagogy, anatomy, and choreography under such people as Jo Rowan, Robert Reed, Tiffany Van der merwe, Patricia Oplotnik, and Kay Sandel. While attending OCU, Shannon was a part of the prestigious American Spirit Dance Company for 4 years. While at OCU, she performed with and honored such celebrities as Susan Powell, Art and Nancy Stone, Cholly Atkins, Leonard Reed, Marion Coles, and Donald O'Conner. Shannon is currently working on choreography and developing a broader understanding of the concepts from which dance derives. Shannon was awarded "Excellence in Choreography" for her contemporary piece "New Beginnings" at the 2009 OnStage New York Nationals Competition Summer 2009. Shannon also has worked with Papillon Dance Ensemble and Creekside Middle School Dance Teams. Shannon is a firm believer that the true dancer lies from within. Everyone has the ability to dance, it is just a matter of finding the strength from within to believe you can. She is very excited to be a part of Amanda's Dance Center again as a teacher and can't wait to share her love of dance!

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