Alice Sheppard facts for kids

Alice Sheppard performs "So, I Will Wait."

Alice Sheppard is a talented dancer and choreographer from Britain. She is known for her unique dance style, which often includes her wheelchair. Alice first worked as a university professor. But after seeing a dance performance, she was inspired to become a dancer herself.

She joined the AXIS Dance Company and toured with them. Later, she started her own dance group called Kinetic Light. This group works with other disabled dancers like Laurel Lawson, Jerron Herman, and Michael Maag. Alice's art often explores how different parts of her identity, like being disabled and a person of color, connect and make her work special.

Her Journey to Dance

Alice Sheppard studied at Cornell University. She earned a special degree in medieval studies. After that, she became a professor at Pennsylvania State University (PSU). She taught English and comparative literature.

In 2004, something changed her path. She went to a conference about disability studies. There, she saw a dancer named Homer Avila perform. His performance deeply inspired her. After talking with him, she decided to try a dance class.

Alice also met Simi Linton at the conference. Simi Linton created a film called Invitation to Dance. This film shares stories about disability, including Alice's own experiences. Alice's picture is even on the cover of the film!

Her first dance lesson was taught by Kitty Lunn. Just two years later, Alice left her job as a professor. She decided to focus completely on her dance career. She continued her dance training with the AXIS Dance Company. She became an apprentice dancer in 2006 and a full company member in 2007. Alice had studied ballet and modern dance before.

During her training, Alice learned how to dance using her wheelchair. She discovered how her disability could create new and interesting movements. She learned to listen to her body in new ways. After her training, Alice toured across the country. She also taught dance for the Axis Dance Company. In 2012, she became an independent dancer. Since then, she has worked with dance companies in both the United Kingdom and the United States.

Alice is a multiracial, queer, Black Briton. She prefers not to share specific details about her disability.

Her Dance Career

Alice Sheppard and Laurel Lawson perform "Excerpt from Snapshot (Minsky's Burlesque, New Jersey, ca. 1954)," 2015.

In 2014, Alice worked with GDance and Ballet Cymru. They created a show called Stuck in the Mud. This show was interactive. The dancers guided the audience through the performance space. She also performed with Full Radius Dance in 2014 and 2015.

In 2017, she worked with the Marc Brew Company. They created BREWBAND. This show combined live rock music with live dance. It aimed to mix musicians and dancers. It also challenged what people thought live performances could be.

Later in 2017, Alice's own dance company, Kinetic Light, created a piece called Descent. This performance took place on a special ramp structure. It told the story of Andromeda and Venus. They were imagined as interracial lovers. Alice performed Descent with Laurel Lawson in their wheelchairs.

In 2017, Alice Sheppard received a special award from Gibney Dance. This award gave her resources to create and perform new dance works.

In February 2018, Alice performed at the opening of a new space at the Gibney Dance Center. She also spoke at a conference called the 2018 Dance/NYC Symposium. She was on a panel discussing how to grow disability dance in New York City.

In July 2018, Alice was featured on the cover of Dance Magazine. The magazine praised her for "moving the conversation beyond loss and adversity." In February 2019, she was in a New York Times article called "I Dance Because I Can." This article featured Alice's work and that of Laurel Lawson from Kinetic Light. The article highlighted how Alice's work connects "art and social justice." It showed how her dances come from disability culture and beauty.

In January 2019, Alice Sheppard was one of 58 artists to receive the Creative Capital award.

Her Dance Style

Alice creates dances that challenge common ideas about disabled bodies and dance. She uses ideas from disability arts, culture, and history. She is very interested in how disability, gender, and race connect. These connections often lead her to work with other artists.

Alice's dances use her wheelchair as if it's part of her body. She also uses crutches in some of her routines. In 2016, she started using ramps in her performances. These ramps were built by engineering students at Olin College.

Her work does not use old ideas about disability. Instead, it explores her many different identities. She believes that disability is more than just a medical condition. She sees it as a form of art, a mix of cultures, and a creative power. She also believes that her movements do not show "triumph over disability."

Here is a list of some dances choreographed by Alice Sheppard:

Awards and Grants

• Wynn Newhouse Award (2015)
• Dance/NYC Disability Dance Fund (2017)
• Creative Capital Foundation's MAP FUND (2017)
• New England Foundation for the Arts [NEFA]: The NDP Production grant (2017)
• Dance Magazine's Reader's Choice Award: Most Moving Performance (2018)
• United States Artists Fellowship (2019)
• Creative Capital Award (2019)

Images for kids

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  Alice Sheppard performs "So, I Will Wait."

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  Alice Sheppard and Laurel Lawson perform "Excerpt from Snapshot (Minsky's Burlesque, New Jersey, ca. 1954)," 2015.