Dance Bio

[shanmonster]

I hate writing these things, but it seems necessary. What do you think of this? I'm sure it needs work.

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Shantell Powell is a fusion dancer with a great love of performance. Along with being a theatre graduate from the University of New Brunswick, she has trained extensively in movement arts, studying with the following dance artists:

- Catherine Linfield (American cabaret)
- Terry Harper (Lebanese raqs sharqi)
- Denise Enan (Egyptian raqs sharqi and folkloric)
- Yasmina Ramzy (Egyptian raqs sharqi, Saidi)
- Jalilah (Egyptian raqs sharqi, Ghawazee)
- Hadia (Egyptian raqs sharqi, Ghawazee, teacher training)
- Carrie Hiebert (American Tribal Style)
- Artemis Mourat (Rromany dance, Turkish raqs sharqi)
- Tayyar Akdeniz (Rromany dance, Turkish folkloric)
- Belinda Ferguson (Raqs sharqi, Saidi)
- Morocco (Raqs sharqi, Guedra trance ritual)
- Marilyn Paris (Zaar, raqs sharqi)
- Tarik Sultan (Raqs sharqi)
- Yamoussa Camara (West African)
- Iman (Flamenco)
- Dr. Zsuzsa Szabo-Nyarady (Martha Graham modern, Pilates)
- Sephira (American cabaret, circular veil)
- John Butters (Fire dance)
- Oceanfire (American Tribal Style, tribal fusion)

Her movement studies took her in areas separate from dance. She studied Ashtanga yoga with Ruth Merrett, and is an amateur body builder. She's studied for her group fitness theory certification at the YMCA, later going on to teach dance-inspired fitness classes. She has also taken movement awareness classes at the University of New Brunswick. She did extensive training in various martial arts including Okinawan Goju-Ryu karate-do (under tutelage of Kyoshi Ken Tallack), Wu-style t'ai chi chu'an (Sifu Martin Kennedy), and Hung Gar kung fu (Sifu Danny Norrad and Sifu Ricky Cote under tutelage of Sifu Jay Tse) at Wei Chin Kung Fu.

Shantell's fusion dance style draws heavily upon her raqs sharqi and martial arts background.

Comments

[tlatoani.livejournal.com]

"Her movement studies have also taken her to areas outside dance..." might be better.

"She has trained extensively in various martial arts..." is better (agrees in form with the rest of the paragraph). Also "under the tutelage" in the two places you use the phrase.

Is "Rromany" dance really supposed to have two r's?

Don't know the context well enough to judge the content.

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

Yes, it really does have two Rs.

Thanks for the hints. I'll read it over in the morning once I've had a bit of sleep.

Rromany

[sageincave.livejournal.com]

Is that because you roll the Rr? And why or when is it more correct to use Rromany than Rromany?

Re: Rromany

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

I don't know the linguistics behind it. This is the spelling I was given by Artemis Mourat who specializes in Rromany dance/rights. I'm sure she could give you a better explanation than I can.

[f00dave.livejournal.com]

I'd bounce a little more on "you" than on other people, earlier on ... it makes you look underconfident as presented.

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

Bah. I need someone to write it for me. I hate telling people why and how I'm the cat's meow. I always feel dirty doing it, just like I hate asking for references for job interviews/résumés.

[elanya.livejournal.com]

what is it for?

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

Multiple purposes, really. Firstly, as a bio for writing (although that would definitely need to be shortened, in this case). Secondaly, as a bio for teaching dance workshops.

[elanya.livejournal.com]

then dave is definitely wright. What I would do is write a bio, and then at the end, depending on what you are doing workshop wise, add the 'she has studied with', and inly include the relevant dancers. I mean, if you are teaching straight raks, then having studied west african or hiphop is less relevant, or may seem so to potential workshop attendees/students. It is still good to say you have studied many styles and with many different teacher, generally, but also talk about why that is actually a good thing. What has studying all these different forms of movement really taught you, what will it help you pass on, how does it help you be a better teacher, what do you have to teach, what is your dance/movement philosophy, etc etc etc!

My mind is going in many directions atm, but I hope that will give you some things to think about.

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

I can't see myself teaching a straight-forward raqs workshop. I'd definitely be teaching fusion material.

But yes, I do need to tout myself up. Ugh.

[kimberlove.livejournal.com]

i love Graham. just had to say that. looks good to me.

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

I'd like to study it again, but with a different teacher this time around. What I've seen in performance seemed to have little to do with what I was taught.

[admnaismith.livejournal.com]

As a bio for anything other than dance and other movement-oriented performing arts, I'd leave out the list of classes and teachers.

For dance instruction, I'd leave the entire list in. Damn, but you're well-rounded in the field! Who wouldn't be impressed by the variety? If you want to present yourself as having a specialty or expertise in one area like raqs sharqi, or even just to emphasize your training as broad as well as deep, you might want to list your training in that area above and separate from the rest.

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

The bio is primarily for me as a dance performer and teacher. Now that I'm more awake, it seems I'm therefore missing two things: my experience as a teacher, and my experience as a performer. I'll have to touch on both of these things, won't I?

I also realized I've forgotten a couple of teachers. I've also studied jazz lyrical and hiphop, and forgot to include them.