Master Dilettante + Creative Badass
Creativity is my specialization. Creativity in all forms and myriad expressions. It is a process and a translation. The skill is transforming inner vision to outer reality, and refining that expression to such an extent that the distinctions between the two dissolve. It’s all about connection. Connection between inner and outer and human to human. Whether in the form of a dance, a photograph, a speech, a poem, or a painting, this is how I connect with and give back to my world, both as a creative and an educator.
So please take a look around. Then give me a shout!
Shana is a strong multidisciplinary artist with deep commitment and integrity…She is a gifted collaborator and works with great heart to find the right balance of discipline and play in the relative process…She is clear, articulate and wonderfully informed about artistic trends as well as historical perspectives.
Barbara DilleyPERFORMANCE
movement + acting + improvisation + collaboration + devising + directing + designing
Cordon is a ridiculously agile actress…who is as dexterous with her voice as she is with her body.
Calgary HeraldMs. Cordon is an accomplished actress, writer, and director. [She] is at once skillful, entertaining, and provocative.
King River Life MagazinePhysically precise. Fight scenes in solo shows are acrobatic cadenzas; this one gets the benefit of Cordon’s acrobatic virtuosity.
Edmonton JournalART + DESIGN
Design + Creative Direction + Branding
I dig design. Design is creative, aesthetic, practical, product based thinking and making. It’s visual communication and story-telling. In the past decades I’ve developed extensive experience in branding, creative direction, and graphic design. I love bringing my theatrical story-telling experience into design, and innovative design thinking to all of my creative projects. To learn more, visit Cordon Bleu Design or click on the button to the right.
Photography + Multimedia
My most recent collection is titled “Urban Collage.” From drawings on cave walls at Lascaux to tags on a city subway, humans have marked their environment and cities from the beginning. Whether a political outcry, an artistic expression, an advertisement, or the tag of an individual, the walls of our cities reflect the layered history of its people and the zeitgeist of a time. Through human intervention and elemental degradation, these layers become a collective collage of the citizens, forming a dialogue between city and people. The photographic lens frames this communication, creating context, story, and a visage of urban life. Just as wabi-sabi celebrates the aesthetic of impermanence and imperfection, so too Urban Collage records a specific moment in a constantly changing landscape, and highlights the beauty in the decay. Photos were taken in international cities including Rome, London, and Denver.
Final images are printed on laminate on MDF and vary in size. All photos subject to copyright ©2017. All rights reserved.
Click individual images to expand and scroll through entire collection.
EDUCATION + COACHING
Coaching: Performance, Communication, Collaboration
Through my company, The Moxy Lab, I have the opportunity to enliven creativity in business and corporate with both teams and individuals. Communication is an art. An art that connects people, sparks the imagination, touches the heart, and ignites the spirit. Whether you’re collaborating in a team meeting or are presenting to an audience of 5 or 5,000—Moxy Lab has tools to help you reach your audience and communicate with authenticity and presence.
I have seen Shana work rooms of 20 and rooms of 400. She commands a stage, but she is personable and connected when she is teaching, coaching, and working directly with others. As a speaker, she can whip out razor-sharp improv skills and think on her feet, or she can hit pre-timed slides to the second. As a coach, she can teach mice to roar like lions, and she can teach excellent speakers to be even better. Shana is a powerhouse talent everyone should work with.
AJ LavenderTeaching: Theater, Improv, Movement, Communication
As a multi-disciplinary theater artist and educator, I am committed to inspiring creative expression. I thoroughly believe that enlivening creativity, in any form, is essential to a healthy life and healthy communities. Since childhood, I have been a practicing visual and performing artist, showing my work and performing internationally. For the past 15 years I have translated my creative experience as an educator to tens of thousands of students of all ages, from kindergarten through senior citizens, in a variety of forms including acting, dance, movement, improvisation, graphic design, public speaking, and performance. As Director of Outreach for Boulder Ballet, I established and grew a $3,000 pilot program, to a $32,000 program in six counties along the Front Range with over 15,000 students participating.
She was clear and direct in her curriculum development yet she was still able to tailor the classes for the students at hand. Her presence in the classroom set a perfect example for what she was asking of the students and as a result, the commitment level and depth of the class grew exponentially. She had a great sense of timing in her teaching style and was able to communicate in depth with the students
Rose Beauchamp