Shana Simmons Dance (SSD) was founded in 2009 by Artistic Director Shana Simmons to create unique and engaging contemporary dance. Since its founding, Simmons has used dance as a means to express other people’s opinions as well as her own: to interpret and create. She takes inspiration from the immediate world in which we are living, and her choreographic expressions are created from the ways in which our society is changing, the need for intimate connections to people and objects, and providing the viewer a unique perspective, if not participatory action. The result for the viewer is an emotional reaction or a thought process about the work. In July 2012, Simmons produced her own collaborative event entitled Relative Positions, made possible by the Heinz Small Arts Initiative and the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater. Critic, Jane Vranish, deemed it “serious art, designed to intrigue” and that it “promoted Pittsburgh as a vibrant arts scene” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). Past works have received similar praise, Bits ... Pieces ... (2012) “emotionally hard-hitting” (Jane Vranish, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette); What is Your, a work performed at the Reverie Festival in Ghent, Belguim in 2009, was described as a “very fun and daring performance …highly recommended” (gentblogt.be). While a relatively new company in Pittsburgh, Shana Simmons Dance is dedicated to creating and presenting high-quality, professional performances to diverse audiences in the region. Like many small dance companies, SSD is challenged to attract new audiences, as contemporary dance can come across as insular to those who may not be familiar with the art form, or who don’t have the resources to pay the cost of admission. Shana Simmons Dance has most recently teamed up with The Eclectic Laboratory Chamber Orchestra (E.L.C.O.) on three occasions to build new audiences and perform in nontraditional settings. Their fourth collaboration will be presented this spring 2014 as part of the first ever Pittsburgh Fringe Festival. SSD continues to present works with a focus on accessibility and outreach. collaborated in the Future Tenant Space, physically engaging audience members and bridging the gap between alternative music, contemporary dance, and entertainment. In 2009, SSD presented Tea Party as part of the Deptford Project, a performance event in a public square in the low-income neighborhood of Deptford, London. The performances were designed for an audience of local seniors, and presented in a matinee format, with the audience drinking tea around a table. What is Your Space, performed at the New Hazlett Theater in Pittsburgh in early 2009, focused on audience engagement, in which Simmons – a solo performer – invited six men onstage with her in a live experiment in social codes and the role of an audience in contemporary dance. Through a wide range of artistic styles and performance structures, SSD is able to engage audiences from a diversity of ages, economic statuses, and racial and ethnic backgrounds. SSD currently works with 4-6 dancers. We have a range of repertory which focuses on current dance topics, societal commentaries, honoring musical geniuses of the past, and environmental issues. Feel free to visit www.shanasimmonsdance.com to look into more of what we do.
