Photo: Jazzy Photo 

Hayley Shannon is a dancer and teaching artist based in Seattle, WA exploring dance as a channel for empowerment and healing. She finds deep joy in authentic embodied experiencing — when the heart, body and mind are dancing freely together.

As a performer, she’s has performed in the work of Anna Halprin, Veronica Lee-Baik/The Three Yells since 2014, Jessica Jobaris/General Magic, Shannon Stewart, Dylan Ward, Cameo Lethem, Kim Holloway, Noelle Chun and collaborated with musicians including Yaima and Devin Bews. As a choreographer, she investigates humanity through the lens of dance and has shown work at Velocity Dance Center, Converge Dance Festival, Full Tilt Dance Festival, Kaleidoscope Dance Company and as a resident choreographer at Michigan State University.

As a teaching artist, Hayley aims to empower individual voice while fostering community. She has been fortunate to teach diverse communities with organizations including: Creative Dance Center, Velocity Dance Center, Spectrum Dance Theater, Seattle Public Schools, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Path With Art, Mary’s Place, Lambert House with Daniel Costa Dance Company, Dance Camp NW, MovementExchange in Panama, Smile of the Child in Greece and NW Dharma Association in Seattle.

Originally from Michigan, she earned a B.A. in Communications and Dance from Michigan State University and went on to study LivingDance~LivingMusic, an alternate-route dance/movement therapy program, with Dr. Danielle Fraenkel in Greece in 2016. Her relationship with dance was transformed after this experience as she uncovered the profound power of embodied healing work. Since this break through, a web of healing arts has continued to show up and support her path. Later in 2016 she created Dance Healing to share the tools that were transforming her life and continue investigating her curiosities and excitements with the community.

Her passion for dance healing led her to Tamalpa Institute in California to study somatic expressive art therapy under Daria Halprin and Anna Halprin in 2018. Now in Seattle, she continues to lead Dance Healing workshops and collaborates with artists, community organizers, psychologists, body workers, meditators & more to expand opportunities for connection, empowerment and healing through embodied arts.