Kevin Shannon was raised on classic movies starring Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. By the time he was 10 and saw Gregory Hines perform Jelly’s Last Jam live, he let his mom know that was what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. It was at The Juilliard School where the diversity in repertoire at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago caught his eye. He joined the company six months after graduation and has been there for the past 11 years. “I wanted to go somewhere I could be challenged all the time,” he says.
This month you can see Shannon perform with Hubbard Street as the company tours works created by contemporary choreographer and viral dance video star Emma Portner, and hip-hop choreographer and jookin sensation Lil Buck. “I’m excited to work with Emma and see what energy she brings to the company at just 23 years old,” Shannon says. “And jookin with Lil Buck will be totally out of my comfort zone. I’m curious to see how it translates into my body.”
On keeping things fresh after 11 years with Hubbard Street “This year we had our 40th-anniversary season, and we brought back pieces that I did when I first joined the company. It’s great to see someone do a part that used to be mine and see their interpretation of it. Being here as long as I have, I’m not as precious about the work. I love it, but now it’s more about community and sharing these experiences with other dancers.”
On his evolution as a dancer “Things get harder in some ways, and easier in others. Physically, dance gets harder. But mentally, I’m much less stressed because I know the work well, and know that whatever happens, it will be OK. If something goes wrong onstage, I know I can figure it out. I understand that I am sharing with the audience, and that’s the most important thing. I can let go of the nervousness and anxiety that comes with performing. It’s still there at times, but it’s not like when I was younger.”
On taking care of his body “I do a lot of physical therapy, stretching and dry needling. We have an hour each day that we can sign up to work with a physical therapist that the company brings in. Mostly, though, I have learned how to work intelligently. At some point, I had to figure out how to do all of the work we do without injuring myself. When I was young, I would feel the need to do each combination 20 different times in order to push myself or be recognized. Now, I know how to just do the combination twice, but work thoughtfully.”
