“I want to create work that says nothing, but means a whole lot.
Image by Elly Welfare Photography
Artist Statement: “These days, I find myself interested in immersion, visceral expression, ritual, and voice. Asking ‘how simple can I make this?’ Exploring the boundaries of creating FOR an audience, FOR the performers, and/or FOR myself. A question I am currently researching: ‘can performance create thin moments in time?’
Image by Elly Welfare Photography
Bio
Shea Sullivan is a California born, London based choreographer and movement artist. Her work has been featured internationally in the United States, United Kingdom, and France.
Growing up in Orange County tap dancing at a local community center with Ginger Anderson, Shea fell in love with movement early on. Though barred by financial and medical barriers, she did not participate in the ‘studio to competition’ pipeline that defines most American dancer’s training. A major feature of Shea’s life that has impacted her artistic journey has been undergoing treatment for a cleft lip and palate from ages 0-25, spending hours in doctors offices and months on end recovering from operations. Discovering experimental music as a teenager left a lasting impression on Shea and planted a seed for thinking about structure and alternative performance.
Shea began her formal dance training at age 18 years old at community college with Lihue Sung who inspired her to investigate improvisation and composition. In 2020, Shea moved to the UK to train at London Contemporary Dance School. Here, she trained under artists like Vivian Wood, Chisato Ohno, and Jason Mabana.
Shea holds an AA in Interdisciplinary Social Science from Fullerton College, 1st Class BA (Hons) from London Contemporary Dance School, and MA in Collaborative Theatre Production and Design from Guildhall School of Music and Drama.