Education

The IdiosynCrazy Productions community believes that identifying ourselves as artists, as performers, and as instructors of dance is not separate from identifying ourselves as human. Our artistry fortifies our humanity and seeks to make us more a part of this world. In essence, that is what we aim to do through the instruction of dance and dance-related topics: situate the learning experience within the world. There is beauty in the abstraction of the arts, in the abstraction of dance; however, students need to have the option to place art in very realistic places for themselves, to see its functional purpose in their world.

We are interested in cross-disciplinary applications of dance: how we, as dance educators, can address dance historically, socially, scientifically, and artistically. The prominence of dance in popular culture is especially noteworthy, now, and dance educators are in the esteemed position of being able to frame this for students, contextualize it, deconstruct it, learn from it, and move forward from it, while also giving credence and agency to dance that exists outside of the realm of popular culture. Each moving body, each moving story is draped in layers of history and meaning. Together, with our students, we aim to disrobe these mysterious moving stories, trying on layers that fit, while appreciating those that may be too tight, or too loose, too big or too small.

Director of Education and Community Programs

Shavon Norris 
Shavon Norris is an artist, educator and performer.  Originally from New York City, she  received her BA from Manhattanville College, where she majored in Biology and a her MFA in dance from Temple University.  Shavon uses interdisciplinary methods of creation and development to investigate and expose what has been witnessed, inherited, remembered and experienced. Shavon’s work has been presented at Manhattanville College, Shoshana Theater, The Philadelphia Fringe Festival, Temple University, The National Constitutional Center, Art’s Sanctuary, Chester Eastside Ministries and at Joyce Soho for the New Dance Alliance Mix. She has performed in works by Nia Love, Max Luna, Treva Offut, Gabri Crista, Silvana Cardell, Marianela Boan, Kemal Nance, Meghan Durham, Manfred Fischbeck, Leah Stein and Merian Soto. As an educator, Shavon teaches school age children to college students, locally and nationally. Presently, Shavon teaches at Independence Charter School and Dance Alchemy. Shavon’s artistic and educational philosophies are rooted in the desire to give herself, students, performers and audiences opportunities to deepen the understanding of self and the collective.