Shannon Johnson Thomas, owner
Shannon grew up in Daytona Beach, FL where she began dancing at the age of 4 at Debco School of Dance now known as Amanda's Dance Center. She studied ballet, tap, jazz, pointe, lyrical, acrobatics, modern, and musical theater. She was a member of ADC Elite Company. While living in Florida, Shannon was extremely involved in the dance community locally and statewide. She was awarded many awards and won the over-all dancer scholarship with Florida Dance Master's at the age of 18. Shannon participated in many workshops and conventions classes with numerous icons in the dance world; Joe Tremaine, Frank Hatchett, Gus Giordano, Dee Caspary, Mandy Moore, Lizzie MacKenzie, Randy Duncan, and Patsy Swayze. She was also a part of Jazz Dance World Congress. Shannon attended Oklahoma City University's Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Arts Management to study Dance Performance. She studied extensively in ballet, tap, jazz, theater dance, dance pedagogy, anatomy, and choreography under such people as Jo Rowan, Robert Reed, Tiffany Van der merwe, Patricia Oplotnik, and Kay Sandel. While attending OCU, Shannon was a part of the prestigious American Spirit Dance Company for 4 years. While at OCU, she performed with and honored such celebrities as Susan Powell, Art and Nancy Stone, Cholly Atkins, Leonard Reed, Marion Coles, and Donald O'Conner. She has worked for corporate entertainment company Shows in a Box as a choreographer and dancer for Industrials, Conventions and Trade Shows. Shannon was also Magician's Assistant and Dance Captain for The World of Magic. She recently performed with Surfscape Contemporary Dance Theatre in their Rock Opera to Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall." She travels teaching and choreographing for dance studios and dance teams in the Central Florida area. Shannon believes in teaching the proper technique to her dancers to instill correct body alignment and placement. She is teaching at Amanda's Dance Center In Daytona Beach and Ormond Beach and works with Spruce Creek High School's Papillon Dance Team and Color-guard, Creekside Middle School, mentors dancers, private lessons, and her own choreography business, Dancebrought2u. Shannon has won numerous awards for her choreography and attends dance workshops on a regular basis.
shannon@dancebrought2u.com
http://ezinearticles.com/?expert_bio=Shannon_Johnson_Thomas
http://www.squidoo.com/lensmasters/Dancebrought2u
shannon@dancebrought2u.com
http://ezinearticles.com/?expert_bio=Shannon_Johnson_Thomas
http://www.squidoo.com/lensmasters/Dancebrought2u
Shannon dancing with Surfscape Contemporary Dance Theatre in Daytona Beach, Fl
Shannon, green dress dancing with Surfscape Contemporary Dance Theatre
Daytona Cubs Family Night Peformance with Amanda's Dance Center
Shannon, Center Soloist Student Choreography Show OCU
Shane Thomas
Lighting by Shane Thomas
Shane attended Edmond Memorial High School where he was involved in theater and stage craft, but that wasn't the beginning of his entertainment career. Shane actually ran his first spotlight at the age of 9 and designed his first theatrical show at the age of 13 (Illusionaria-Frontier City). He studied dance at Applause Studios under Patricia Oplotnik, Angie Oplotnik-Sellers, and Jennifer Stevenson for 8 years. At the age of 18, he became the entertainment manager for Frontier City, shortly after he became the lighting designer and technical director. He also worked for Six Flags entertainment as the "swing" dancer. During the Six Flags off season, Shane worked as the lighting designer/technical director/project coordinator for Silvertree Productions. Silvertree Productions is an Emmy award winning production company that produced all of the entertainment for Six Flags Amusement Parks all over the country and in Europe for many years. While working for Silvertree Productions, Shane had the opportunity to work with such celebrities as Amy Grant, Vince Gill, Amazing Chinese Acrobats, and Broadway Tour Always Patsy Cline. Shane also worked for The World of Magic for 8 years as the technical director and lighting designer. He has been the lighting designer/technical director for Shows In a Box corporate entertainment events and shows for clients such as Southestern Bell, HSBC, Kaiser Permanente, Lockheed Martin and Gaylord Hotels. He has also helped produce events like the Oklahoma Dome Dedication and OCU Centennial Celebration. Shane worked on Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines as the lighting designer on the Splendor of he Seas, The Enchantment and Freedom Class. Locally, Shane has worked with Peabody Auditorium, Bethune Cookman Auditorium, News Journal Center and many other local theaters with last year's Daytona Beach International Festival as a Master Electrician and Lighting Designer. Overall, Shane has been involved in all aspects of entertainment from stage hand to performer and loves to share his vast amount of knowledge.
