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Ballet, contemporary dance choreography by award winning Los Angeles California artist, Michael Shannon, Resident Choreographer, Configuration Dance Theatre in New York, people's choice for Artvoice Best Dance Company in 2008, 2009, and 2010. Configuration's YouTube Channel features solo, trio, variation, pas de deux, duet, pointe and ensemble works, i.e., What's the Pointe; What Happened to Us; Been There Done That; Welcome to Life; Girls Will Be Girls, Boys Will Be Boys; Tchaicotic; Arthur of Wales New York, Quest for the American Dream; Mishima; Transfiguration; Awakenings; Bound and Paradigmatic. ARTVOICE described Configuration Dance Theatre in the article, "Balanchine and Beyond" (9/20/2009): "As their name implies, their emphasis widens the scope of dance and the dramatic, a certain noir-ness, they lay bare emotions, startle the senses, and makes one think," and Dance Magazine described them as "A Living Art Gallery." Michael Shannon's "What's the Pointe" was presented in "DANCE SPECTACULAR" (9/22/09) by its producer, New York City Ballet star, Daniel Ulbricht, featuring stars from New York City Ballet and Boston Ballet in "Apollo," "Tarantella," "Diamond Pas De Deux" and "Who Cares," authorized by Balanchine Foundation, with "Royenne" by Susan Jaffe, Ballet Mistress, American Ballet Theatre, and "Breathless" by Configuration Dance Theatre Artistic Director, Joseph Cipolla, "whose acclaimed company," said Ulbricht, "is known for its cutting-edge contemporary choreography." THE BUFFALO NEWS (1/02/09) called Artistic Director Joseph Cipolla and his Resident Choreographer Michael Shannon, "THE DREAM TEAM," with international dance careers in legendary institutions, and as 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 (CBE). Michael Shannon choreography has been featured in over 40 ballets, operas, plays, television and film productions in the USA and Europe since 1995, with 12 new original works for Configuration since 2005, i.e., "Yumeji" and "Madame Bovary" for co-founder and principal ballerina, Catherine Batcheller (Stuttgart Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, San Francisco Ballet) and her partner, Momchil Mladenov (principal star for Suzanne Farrell Ballet, National Ballet of Bulgaria), portraying Shannon's Emma Bovary and Léon Dupuis, literature's most famous illicit lovers in Shannon's "Madame Bovary." 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; CDT National Advisory Board and Principal Guest Choreographer; and in 2010, Ballet Mistress for American Ballet Theatre. SHANNON retired from dancing (1979-2002) after his last roles 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 the legendary Artistic Director Yuri Grigorovich; Stars of the Bolshoi tours for Maya Pliesetskaya, Madame Sophia Golovkina; Natalia Bessmertnova; Ekatrina Maximova and 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; Best Play of 1995, "Monday After the Miracle" televised at the Moscow Art Theatre; Awarded Professor of Choreography, Ukrainian State Academy of Ballet 1999; and Artistic Director for the Royal Ballet School of Antwerp in the Kingdom of Belgium.