LONG BIOGRAPHY                                                                                                                

Sharon creates as a choreographer, director and movement coach for dance, film, theatre and circus. She is an award winning creator and performer working for companies across North America and Europe. In early 2007 she became the first Canadian honored with a Bessie Schonberg Choreographic Award Residency at The world famous “Yard” on Martha’s Vineyard. In April 2008 she was in residency at The Atlantic Center for the Arts as associate artist under the mentorship of master artist Susan Marshall from New York City.

While studying theatre at the age of seventeen Sharon discovered dance and went on to graduate as a full scholarship student from the School of The Toronto Dance Theatre. A former member of Contemporary Dancers of Canada under the direction of Tedd Robinson she is now a choreographer sought after for her highly textured and intensely magnetic theatre of movement. Flavored by her understanding of theatre and her experience as an actor she has forged a unique approach to the creative process as it applies to dance movement. She is renowned by those she works with for her ability to not just set good work, but while doing so, to bring about significant performance breakthroughs on an individual level for her artists, and for creating and controlling a safe environment for artistic breakthrough to take place. As a personal movement coach she works for stage and screen coaching and consulting on set for many actors including Lennie Parker, Julia Stiles and Jared Harris. Sharon travels across Canada and the United States where she helps actors and dancers through her intensive theatrical workshops. Her directorial and coaching methods are currently being compiled into a practical guide for performance coaching.

Sharon held the position of Key Choreographer on the Sony Pictures/ Impact Films/ Davies films release of Resident Evil; Apocalypse. She and dramaturge partner Derek Aasland run Cinetic Creations, a company which serves the film industry as a specialty movement/choreography design and direction unit creating large-scale, picture-wide movement worlds, as well as dance sequences and individual characterizations. Currently Cinetic is in pre-production for their new dance drama film “Anachronism”. This dual universe dramatic film utilizes a highly refined shooting process that truly unites the art and technology of cinema with Sharon’s uncompromising emotional subtext and breathtaking movement.

This past season Sharon created her first full evening circus show along with co-director Derek Aasland and graduates of the National Circus School in Montreal. The show “le livre de souhaits” played at Cirque de Soleil’s home big top “TOHU”, in Montreal to a sell out run and traveled to “Circa” an International Circus Festival in Auch, France in November.

In 2005 “The Hunt” a solo created for dancer Peter Trosztsmer during Montreal Danse’s first research and development lab was turned into film by Montreal’s Movement Perpetual. “The Hunt” was nominated in January 2006 for the jury prize at the Dance for Camera Film festival in New York City.  Subsequently it has screened in over 30 countries.

Inspired to make new dance for companies Sharon has created for Contemporary Dancers’ “New Creation Series”, Toronto Dance Theatres’ “Woman at the Winch”, Dusk Dances and the “Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival”. In October of 2001 her work “Interrupted Prayers” represented Canada in Almada Portugal at the International Platform. In 2003 she was Artist in Residence at Canadian Children’s Dance Theatre and is a guest faculty choreographer at The School of Contemporary Dancer’s in Winnipeg, The School of Toronto Dance Theatre and The Theatre Performance Program at Humber College (14, 10 and 4 years respectively). Sharon serves as ongoing mentor to many emerging choreographers, dancers and actors in Toronto and Winnipeg. She has created over 60 works for professional dance training programs across Canada.

Sharon travels across Canada and the United States helping actors and dancers through her intensive theatrical workshops. Her directorial and coaching methods are currently being compiled into a practical guide for performance coaching.

Her repertoire of choreograph total over sixty works which include 6 full evening shows. Last year Sharon created two smash hits for Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers; “Descension” a dark journey into the heart of hell and “Humanity on Display” in which she turned Winnipeg’s beautiful historic exchange district into a land of fable.

Upcoming commissions include a new work for companies in Holland, Jolene Bailie in Winnipeg, Toronto’s Glory House, Niki Wozniak of Desiraeda Dance Theatre, Janet Johnson and company in Guelph, Performance 208 in Winnipeg, Christina Medina in Graz, Austria, Brice Nosier in Quebec City as well as workshops to be delivered in Quebec, Holland, Chicago, Philadelphia, Rhode Island, Scotland, Winnipeg and New York City. 

Sharon's recent acting credits include roles in works by Canadian playwrights Carol Shields and Gerry Atwell.

Sharon is a proud member of the Association of Canadian Television and Radio Artists and The Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists.