BALLET . MICHAEL SHANNON

Ballet videos featuring contemporary choreography from New York productions with works by American Michael Shannon (Los Angeles, California) Resident Choreographer for Configuration Dance Theatre, honored as the people's choice for the Artvoice Best Dance Company Award in 2008, 2009, and 2010. The YAGP honored Shannon in 2008 with an Outstanding Choreographer Award, and he was appointed Artistic Director for the Royal Ballet School of Antwerp in the Kingdom of Belgium in 2010. ARTVOICE described the choreographers and dancers of Configuration Dance Theatre 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." Configuration was featured in "DANCE SPECTACULAR" (9/22/09) by producer and New York City Ballet star, Daniel Ulbricht, presenting Boston Ballet and New York City Ballet stars in "Apollo," "Who Cares," "Diamond," and "Tarantella" authorized by the Balanchine Foundation with "What's the Pointe" by Michael Shannon, "Royenne" by Susan Jaffe, and "Breathless" by Joseph Cipolla, "whose acclaimed company," said Ulbricht, "is known for its cutting-edge contemporary choreography." Configuration has premiered 20 new ballets since 2005, inspiring The Buffalo News (1/02/09) to name their Artistic Director, Joseph Cipolla, and Resident Choreographer, Michael Shannon, "The Dream Team." Cipolla and Shannon are former principal dancers with illustrious international careers starring in legendary companies who retired in 2002 from Birmingham Royal Ballet under the patronage of HRH Queen Elizabeth II, the Prince of Wales, Lady Sarah Chatto, and Director, David Bintley (CBE). Cipolla was a principal star for Dance Theatre of Harlem co-founders, Arthur Mitchell (New York City Ballet) and Karel Shook (Dutch National Ballet), Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet for Artistic Directors Sir Peter Wright and David Bintley; Laurence Olivier Award Nominee (1993); co-founded Configuration Dance Theatre (1999); St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute Wall of Honor (2006); and he co-founded Configuration School of Dance in 2009. Companies on two continents have premiered 40 Michael Shannon ballets, plays, films, and opera since 1995. He has created 12 new ballets for Configuration since 2005, with his "Madame Bovary," commissioned and danced by Bolshoi Ballet star, Nadezhda Gracheva for a Moscow Gala in her honor (2009), and New York by Catherine Batcheller, CDT co-founder and principal star for San Francisco Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, and Birmingham Royal Ballet, and Momchil Mladenov, principal star for Suzanne Farrell Ballet, and the National Ballet of Bulgaria, who portrayed Emma Bovary and Léon Dupuis in Michael Shannon's "Madame Bovary," literature's most famous illicit lovers. 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, a published author, television host, actress, educator, Advisor to the ABT Board of Governing Trustees Chairman (2002-2007); Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School Faculty (2002-Present); Duke Corporate Education Lecturer (2007-Present), Configuration Advisory Board, Guest Choreographer (2007-Present); and Ballet Mistress for American Ballet Theatre (2010-Present). Michael Shannon danced professionally 1979-2002, with his last roles for Birmingham Royal Ballet as Lancelot in David Bintley's "Arthur" and Prince Siegfried in Sir Peter Wright's "Swan Lake. He has been a star and competition judge for Bolshoi legend, Artistic Director Yuri Grigorovich; Stars of the Bolshoi led by 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 (Bolshoi); and others, i.e., Royal Ballet of Covent Garden (1979); Los Angeles Ballet (1980), American Ballet Theatre (1981); Boston Ballet (1983); National Ballet of Canada (1984-86); Royal Swedish Opera Ballet (1986); Hungarian State Opera Ballet (1987); awarded Silver Medals in Paris France (1992), Budapest Hungary (1993) International Ballet Competitions; Honored by Town Hall of California (1986 & 1990); President George H. W. Bush (1990), President William J. Clinton (1993); Best Play of 1995 Award for "Monday After the Miracle" televised at the Moscow Art Theatre of Anton Chekhov; and Awarded Professor of Choreography, Ukrainian State Academy of Ballet in 1999.