Shannon

American Bolshoi Ballet Star, Principal Danseur Noble, Honorary Professor of Choreography & Master Teacher, The first American graduate of the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, Moscow Choreographic Institute, and Hungarian State Ballet Institute. Shannon was the first foreign principal dancer of the Bolshoi since it's founding in 1776. Principal Dancer of the Vienna State Opera Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, and Permanent Principal Guest Artist with the Kremlin Palace Ballet Theatre, and Hungarian State Ballet Theatre. Two time laureate and medal winner in International Ballet Competition, and honored by Presidents Bush & Clinton. Michael has also recently accepted the position Chairman of Faculty of the newly founded Greenwich Ballet Academy, where he imparts his vast experience and knowledge of his art, to the new generation of aspiring ballet dancers and choreographers. Shannon is a prolific classical & contemporary choreographer whose living abroad for over 20 years, and world tours to 34 countries and 19 states inspired 35 ballets, 28 original premieres, and 7 current works in development. Shannon's forte is tailor-made story ballets whose first foray in choreography began with an invitation to Choreograph and stage the William Gibson play, "Monday After the Miracle," awarded Best Play of 1995 after its premiere in the Moscow Art Theatre of Anton Chekhov. Following this success, Prince Andrei Golitsyn and Prince Oleg Lopukhin of the Russian Nobility Assembly made him Director & Head Choreographer of the Revived Russian Imperial Theatre of Opera and Ballet under the High Patronage of Her Imperial Highness, Grand Duchess, Maria Vladimirovna Romanova where his work continued to expand with: Madame Bovary (1996) Forever (1996) Moods (1996, 1999) Divertissement Imperiale´ (1997). Shannon was then invited to be Head Choreographer and Co. Artistic Director of the Russiches Kammertheater Berlin (today Russiches Theater Berlin) Labyrinth of the Soul (1998) Die Alte (1998) Mozart and Salieri (1998) An Invitation to a Beheading (1999) Die Musen (The Muses, 2000) Licht Und Schatten (2000). Since Michael had continued to work in both Europe and the US and some of his ballets have included: Ballet de File´ (2002, 2003) Kaleidoscope (2002, 2003) The Red Serpent (2003) White (2004) Karma (2004) Satie (2005) Spiegel Im Spiegel (2006) and Appalachian Spring (2006) Shannon now works extensively with America's hottest new contemporary ballet company Configuration under the directorship of Joseph Cipolla, and where he is currently creating two original pieces Liebestod and The Ultimate O for their Spring tour to NYC and the Alvin Ailey Theatre.

A Complete Biography available for download here: Michael Shannon Biography - Adode PDF format

A potted history of Michael Shannon

At age 10, thanks to Stanley Holden, famous for his original roles under the legendary choreographer, Sir Frederick Ashton, opened the door for Shannon s first professional stage experience as a King s Page in "Romeo & Juliet" starring Anthony Dowell which gave him the best seats in the house "on stage" and "back stage." Whenever the world's ballet legends came to Los Angeles, they took class with Holden, and he made sure Shannon was in class with them.

At 12, Holden arranged for Shannon to be a Street Urchin in "Don Quixote" with the American Ballet Theatre starring Fernando Bujones and Anthony Dowell, and with the Boston Ballet starring Rudolph Nureyev, because he knew that Shannon needed real life experience "on stage," "back stage," and in company classes with the great male dancers of ballet so Shannon could apply what he was learning from ballet's premiere male dancers in his performing life.

At 15, Shannon was one of three male students chosen to perform in "Konservatoriet" staged by Fredbjorn Bjornsson of the Royal Danish Ballet for a 25th Anniversary Gala (11/22/84) to honor Betty Oliphant, Founder and Director of the National Ballet School of Canada. Anna Kisselgoff of the New York Times wrote, the students were perfect material for a showcase in ballet classicism... the standard of performance was a tribute to Oliphant in quality, integrity, style and strength... this was quite simply the most poetic performance one has seen of the ballet.

At 16, Shannon was invited to speak and provide a dance demonstration for Town Hall of California. At 20, he was invited back to speak at a luncheon in his honor while on tour with the Bolshoi in the lead role of Albrecht in "Giselle," where a letter from President Bush, and Resolution from the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors, was read and presented with wide media coverage. He is the youngest speaker and performing artist to speak before Town Hall in its 66- year history of hosting presidents of countries, leaders of science, industry and government. His speech was aired on radio stations across California and published by Town Hall of California. It is available at the Academy upon request.

Excerpt from Shannon's Speech 8/9/90: "Ballet alone incorporates in a human medium the other great forms of art. The stage, set, costumes, music and lighting are only a frame for the choreographer. Master teachers sculpt the body into a finely crafted instrument to achieve harmony, unity of mind, body and soul, disciplined but malleable, a living canvas on which the choreographer can paint the full spectrum of life. Ballet touches within all of us a reservoir of shared human experience and capacity for understanding, where together, we are united as one soul, sharing hopes, dreams, laughter or tears, transcending barriers of language, politics, culture and country."

Shannon witnessed the end of an age in Russian history that diverted his and others' careers in the Bolshoi overnight. He was on tour with Stars of the Bolshoi in Greece in 1991 when they learned about the first coup d'etat in Moscow. Advised to stay in Europe until their government stabilized, Elena Tchernichova welcomed him into the Vienna State Opera Ballet. After he returned to Moscow in 1993, the KBG approved a special pass for him to work inside the Kremlin only to have a second coup d'etat erupt while Shannon and Ekaterina Maximova were working in the Kremlin Palace Theatre. As they were evacuated, tanks and soldiers were positioned throughout the complex, and Yeltsin helicoptered in where they could protect him behind the Kremlin walls.

Reinvesting the Heritage & Legacy of the Masters of Ballet ? Shannon's life has intertwined with the greats in ballet history since childhood, many who became his family, inspired him, coached him, nurtured his talent, guided and followed his career, creating the master performer and teacher he is today. Whether Shannon is choreographing, dancing or teaching, he does not stand alone, but on the foundation, heritage and legacy of every school, company and master teacher who invested in him, and notably in Russia, he was coached by revered Bolshoi & Kirov legends Galina Ulanova for Swan Lake & Giselle Assaf Messerer for Don Quixote Marina Semyonova for Sleeping Beauty Elena Evteeva for Le Papillion Mikhail Lavrovsky for Giselle Yuri Vladimirov for Flames of Paris Vladimir Vasiliev for Don Quixote & Cinderella Ekaterina Maximova for Calvary at a Halt, Coppelia & Cinderella Boris Akimov for Don Quixote, Giselle & La Sylphide Madame Sophia Golovkina for Coppelia lena Tchernichova for La Fille Mal Gardee & Sylvia.