Choreographer Michael Shannon

New York inspired American contemporary dance videos featuring ballets by choreographer Michael Shannon from Los Angeles, California, Resident Choreographer for the award winning, nationally recognized, CONFIGURATION DANCE THEATRE, the 2008 and 2009 people's choice for ARTVOICE Best Dance Company Award; the film he wrote, directed and produced, "Course," was selected in 2009 for the Queens International Film Festival in New York City; and received a YAGP Outstanding Choreographer Award in 2008, and Best Play of 1995 for his work in "Monday After the Miracle" televised at the Moscow Art Theatre. Videos feature solos, trios, variations, pas de deux, duets, pointe, prelude, sarabande, gigue, and more, i.e., excerpts from his ballets: "What's the Pointe;" "Been There Done That;" "Welcome to Life;" "Girls Will Be Girls, Boys Will Be Boys," "Tchaicotic;" "What Happened to Us;" "Arthur of Wales New York, Quest for the American Dream;" "Bound;" "Transfiguration;" "Mishima; "Awakenings;" and "Paradigmatic." ARTVOICE described Configuration Dance Theatre and its choreographers, Michael Shannon, Susan Jaffe, and Joseph Cipolla in "Balanchine and Beyond" (9/20/2009), saying, "As their name implies, their emphasis widens the scope of dance and dramatic, a certain noir-ness, they lay bare emotions, startle senses, and make one think," qualities DANCE MAGAZINE experts saw, and more, giving CDT its unique, descriptive moniker, "A LIVING ART GALLERY." "DANCE SPECTACULAR" (9/22/09) produced by New York City Ballet star, Daniel Ulbricht, with stars from New York City Ballet and Boston Ballet in "Apollo," "Tarantella," "Diamond Pas De Deux" and "Who Cares" authorized by the Balanchine Foundation, and featured Michael Shannon's WHAT'S THE POINTE, Susan Jaffe's ROYENNE, Joseph Cipolla's BREATHLESS, "whose acclaimed company is known for its cutting-edge contemporary choreography," said Ulbricht. THE BUFFALO NEWS (1/02/09) named Artistic Director Cipolla and Resident Choreographer Michael Shannon, "THE DREAM TEAM," each highly respected with illustrious careers with legendary dance institutions, both principal stars for BIRMINGHAM ROYAL BALLET under the patronage of HRH Queen Elizabeth II, Prince of Wales, Lady Sarah Chatto, and Artistic Director, David Bintley. CIPOLLA was a principal star for Dance Theatre of Harlem co-founders, Arthur Mitchell (New York City Ballet) and Karel Shook (Dutch National Ballet), Sadlers Wells Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet for Artistic Directors Sir Peter Wright and David Bintley; 1993 Lawrence Olivier Award Nominee; 2006 St. Josephs Collegiate Institute Wall of Honor Awardee; retired in 2002, but returned to BRB in 2007 to dance Nimrod in "Enigma Variations" and De Guiche in Cyrano. In 2007, SUSAN JAFFE, principal star for American Ballet Theatre, and guest artist for the Kirov, Vienna State Opera Ballet, Royal Swedish Opera Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, Royal Ballet of Covent Garden, English National Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Munich State Opera Ballet, La Scala Ballet in Milan, Dance Magazine Awardee, author, actress, TV host, educator, Advisor to American Ballet Theatre's Board of Governing Trustees Chairman 2002-2007, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School faculty since 2002, Duke Corporate Education Lecturer on Excellence, and joined the CDT National Advisory Board and is Principal Guest Choreographer. SHANNON danced his last roles (1979-2002) for Birmingham Royal Ballet as Lancelot in David Bintleys "Arthur" and Prince Siegfried in Sir Peter Wrights "Swan Lake." He was a principal star in the Bolshoi Ballet for legends, Artistic Director Yuri Grigorovich; Stars of the Bolshoi tours for Maya Pliesetskaya, Madame Sophia Golovkina, Natalia Bessmertnova, Ekatrina Maximova, Vladimir Vasiliev; Vienna State Opera Ballet for Artistic Director Elena Tchernichova (ABT, Kirov); Kremlin Palace Ballet for Director Andrei Petrov, Vladimir Vasiliev, Ekatrina Maximova; and others, i.e., Royal Ballet 1979; Los Angeles Ballet 1980, American Ballet Theatre 1981; Boston Ballet 1983; National Ballet of Canada 1984; Royal Swedish Opera Ballet 1986; Hungarian State Opera Ballet; Awarded Silver Medals in Paris France 1992 and Budapest Hungary 1993 International Ballet Competitions; Town Hall of California Honoree 1986, 1990; Honored by President George H. W. Bush 1990, and President William J. Clinton 1993. Shannon was educated by Royal Ballet's Stanley Holden, Ballet Russe Alexandra Denisova, Tatiana Riabouchinska Lichine, Yvonne Mounsey, George Balanchine's School of American Ballet in New York City, the National Ballet School of Canada, and graduated from the Moscow Choroegraphic Institute Bolshoi Ballet Academy (1989), and the Hungarian State Ballet Institute in (1987), and his Professorship in Choreography from the Ukrainian State Academy of Ballet (1999). (http://www.michaelshannon.net)