Photo by Matt Haber
Shawna has been training and performing for over 20 years and cannot imagine life without dance. She is excited to participate in Jenni Bregman’s residency at the Garage in early 2012 where the group will work on Intimate City as well as the creation of a new piece to be performed in the spring. In addition, Shawna currently takes Contemporary Jazz classes and participates regularly in workshop performances with Jenni Bregman of Printz Dance Project at San Francisco’s LINES Dance Center.
Performance
Contemporary Jazz
“Wolf & I” (Jenni Bregman), August-October 2011
“Toxic” (Jenni Bregman), March-May 2011
We performed for National Dance Week in early May. The concept behind the piece is how we give in to our bad habits and are manipulated by them.
Music: Yael Naim – “Toxic” (16 Bit Dubstep Remix)
Untitled/ Lunch Break (Jenni Bregman), October 2010
The workshop ran August-October and the piece was performed October 20 at Union Square as part of the Jewels in the Square series. The concept is how we put on a face at work and can’t wait to throw it off and let our hair down at lunchtime.
Music: “Unsquare Dance” by Dave Brubeck and unknown track by 78plus
Birds, Wireless (Jenni Bregman), May 2009
Program Notes: For this workshop, we learned choreographed phrases, developed partnering in small groups, created gesture phrases as individuals, and worked with structured improvisation. This piece is inspired by this era of over-stimulation and our subsequent foraging for nourishing information.
Music: Certified Air Raid Material – edIT
Ants (Jenni Bregman), Summer 2008
Other
Go Go Spectacular (The Devil-ettes), November 2009
Training
Summer 2007-present: Jenni Bregman, Alonzo King LINES Dance Center (San Francisco, CA)
Jenni Bregman (Updenkelder) was born and raised in Oregon, where she trained in Jazz, Modern, Ballet, Hip-Hop, and Theatre. She graduated magna cum laude from Willamette University in 1999 and moved to San Francisco to pursue dance. In 2002, she became a member of the fusion dance company Printz Dance Project, which performs locally, nationally, and internationally. In addition to performing with Printz Dance Project, Jenni teaches Contemporary Jazz at LINES Dance Center, Shawl-Anderson Dance Center and RoCo Dance and Fitness. Her choreography has been seen in local showcases and theater productions, onstage with a rock band and on video.
Feb 2009: Master Class with Akram Khan
Instructors: Shanell Winlock and Eulalia Ayguade Farro. Read more about the experience.
2001-2005: Abby Saxon, Vassar College (Poughkeepsie, NY)
Abby Saxon has an M.A. in Dance and Dance Education from New York University. She danced professionally for 15 years in New York City, most notably with Jazzdance- The Danny Buraczeski Dance Company, touring the U.S. and appearing at Jacobs Pillow, Spoleto, and the American Dance Festival. Teaching invitations have included the Jacobís Pillow Summer Dance Program and the Joyce Theatre Dance Education Program for New York City school teachers. A former instructor of Dance at New York University, Abby is currently teaching jazz dance at Vassar College.
1991-2000: Jane Kellam, Show Biz Dance @ Menlo Park Recreation Center (Menlo Park, CA)
