Bill Shannon incorporates the crutches he has used since childhood into his choreography. The result, Spatial Theory, is stunning.
By MARTY CLEAR
Published May 1, 2003
[Publicity photo]
Bill Shannon's crutches allow him to break dance while his body is suspended above the stage.
Like all dancers, Bill Shannon has to deal with physical limitations. And like all dancers' work, Shannon's both embodies and overcomes those limitations.
What separates Shannon from most of his colleagues is that he dances on crutches. His is not a novelty act, and to Shannon the crutches have become part of his body, just additional appendages that he takes into account in his choreography.
"I've been walking on crutches since I was 4," he said. "It's a very naturalistic relationship."
When Shannon, now 32, was a child, he had a hip condition called Legg-Calve-Perthes disease. Once the disease ran its course, he had a few crutch-free years. Then the joint damage from the disease sent him back to the crutches.
"I can still walk (without crutches)," he said. "I just can't walk very far."
In his teens, Shannon discovered and became expert at street dancing, break dancing and skateboarding. Skateboarding has become his transportation of choice when he's home in New York. Break dancing and street dancing have become his art forms.
Local audiences will get to see his work this weekend when he brings Spatial Theory to the Shimberg Playhouse.
"It's a conceptual break-dancing piece based on hop-hop and jazz," Shannon said.
Besides the onstage dancing, Spatial Theory incorporates a live DJ (Richie Tempo), a video presentation based on Shannon's street work and some audience interaction.
Spatial Theory has been in Shannon's repertoire for years, and every step of the choreography is set. But there's enough fluidity in the piece that Shannon can respond to each night's audience.
"There's style variation," he said. "It's all choreographed, but it's like one day I color a certain part red and the next day I color it blue."
Shannon's crutches enable him to perform dance feats that most dancers couldn't handle. With his weight supported by the crutches, he can suspend his body above the stage and perform break-dancing moves in the air.
At other times, he uses his crutches as props, incorporating crutch flourishes into the choreography.
Shannon's dancing and choreography have earned rave reviews from major dance publications. He has attracted major grants and most recently was enlisted to choreograph pieces for a new Cirque du Soleil show.
And even though he's often billed as "CrutchMaster," Shannon wants his work to be evaluated just as any other dancers' would be. As he says, "No body's perfect."
PREVIEW: Bill Shannon will perform Spatial Theory at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center's Shimberg Playhouse at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and at 4 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $15.50 plus service charge. Call (813) 229-7827.
