Shawn Short

Founding Director

Founding Producing Artistic Director, Dissonance Dance Theatre.
Southern roots with DC-area rearing, Shawn has studied with nationally and internationally acclaimed artists including faculty and dancers from Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, Lines Ballet, Washington Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Dance Institute of Washington, Dance Alloy, Philadanco, Towson University, Baltimore and Duke Ellington School of Performing Arts. As a student of ballet pedagogy, Shawn studied with John White, Margarita De Saa and the Washington School of Ballet Director Kee Juan Han. His performance credits include work with K2 Dance, Adrian Bolton Dance, El Teatro de Danza Contemporanea El Salvador, and Bolton/Smith. He has also served as a guest artist with Dance Alloy in Pennsylvania. Mr. Short is a Founding Faculty member of the Washington Ballet@THEARC school.

Leadership
In addition to his role as Founding Producing Artistic Director in 2007, Shawn is the Founder and Director of Ngoma Center for Dance (Ngoma). For Black Enterprise (BE)”Modern Man 100 List of Extraordinary Men” awardee (2016) Shawn Short, Ngoma is central to the life and development of Dissonance Dance Theatre. Just as he expects the finest dancing and most meticulous attention to detail from his dancers, he demands the highest standards for training at Ngoma.

Under Mr. Short, Dissonance has evolved from a project-based entity into an exciting dance entertainment venture in the Washington, D.C. area. As a choreographer, teacher, and coach, Short has fostered a love of the classical and contemporary ballet lexicon that has become the bedrock of the Company’s training. The dancers are energized and inspired by this rigorous training and continue to rise to new heights with each passing year. Through Ngoma’s programs, dance artists have grace stages locally, nationally and internationally. Furthermore, many students have gained scholarships in NYC institutions, acceptance into college/university dance programs.