Today we’d like to introduce you to Shannon Beshears.
Hi Shannon, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
As a dancer and stunt performer, my journey started with dance, then grew into stunts through live shows. Along my journey, I have also started a nonprofit (501c3) called Upijata Arts Company on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in SD. I grew up in Taylor Ridge, IL then went to college at Oklahoma City University. Oklahoma City shaped my future as I became a sexual assault survivor, went through a court case, and won. Through this experience, I turned to dance as a coping mechanism and my fire for starting the Nonprofit began. Upijata Arts Company is an Arts program on an Indian Reservation where many people experience sexual assault, PTSD, depression, and thoughts of suicide. Through my experiences, I wanted to bring the arts to those who need an emotional outlet. I did this as I danced professionally in Orlando, FL, then eventually moved to Atlanta, GA to continue my stunt career. I have stunt performed in 20+ TV shows and movies.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Attending college while working two jobs and going through a court case as a sexual assault survivor was an experience I will never forget. Supporting myself while taking 18-22 credit hours to complete this rigorous dance program in four years also added to this stress. Through this fire, I forged my character and work ethic. I had to believe I could do it when no one else did. When people said I couldn’t, I did. This built a resilience that I will have for the rest of my life as I encounter opportunities for growth in the shape of a challenge.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a dancer at heart. I started my professional career in Texas the Outdoor Musical Drama as a dancer, danced in theme parks such as Frontier City and Universal Orlando, danced in Teatro Martini Orlando, and I am currently in a dance company in Roswell, GA called Sideways dance company. I specialize in Jazz, Tap, and Contemporary. As a stunt performer, I started in Oklahoma doing a few movies before I went on Disney Cruise Line as a character performer and dancer. I moved to Orlando to dance and continued my stunt training before I moved to Atlanta, GA. Atlanta GA is where my stunt career has blossomed and I am so grateful for every opportunity I’ve received.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: shannonebeshears
Image Credits
The photo of me dancing on the train was Chris Coates photography. insta handle: chriscoatesphoto
