Artist of the Week

Artist: Shannon Oleson
Artform: Dancer
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What do you do and what are your main focuses?
I dance!
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Where have you studied?
​I did a training program with the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance and Trained with the Line Contemporary Ballet Training Program. Currently I am working on an Masters of Fine Arts in Dance Performance at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Dance and Music

Why do you dance? 
I haven’t found anything as satisfying, and so I continue to dance.

What and/or who are you influenced by? 
I’m influenced by my friends, and other people that I know personally.

What excites you about the art world today?
I like how it is changing, its fighting for pay, and its representing what is happening in the world. In so many ways, the arts carry societies and I firmly believe that.

What are your future ambitions?
I want to continue to perform for a while, I want to teach at a university, I want to go into corporate Social Responsibility and help the funding (or lack of) for dance, I want to change a part of the dance world and im still trying to figure out which part that is.

What are you afraid of?
The dark, and the space under the grates on the street.

What is more important, talent or hard work?
Hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t work hard. Someone told me this once and it has stuck ever sense.

Have you ever failed at something and what happened as a result? What advice would you give to people as a result of that experience?
​Yes, many times. I either decide it's not worth it and move on or change something and try again. I think everything should be taken with a laugh because life is hard enough without the little things getting us down as well.

What motivates you? 
​My Dreams!

Do you have a favourite genre?
​No I like it all!