Before coming to Hawai'i to pursue an MFA in dance at University of Hawai'i-Manoa, Shannon, originally from New Mexico, had done her undergraduate work in dance at Seattle's renowned Cornish School of the Arts.

Her strength as a dancer and choreographer became apparent during her graduate school years. It eventually led her to become a founding member of Convergence, along with fellow student dancers and choreographers. Together, they presented their first concert at Marks Garage in 2001. The company was formally established in 2003.

Although many of the original dancers left Hawai'i, the company managed to perform one or two concerts annually for the first few years. By 2006, however, there were too few dancers remaining, and Shannon concentrated her efforts on building the school she had opened shortly after graduation. The Dance Space, in University Square, was intended to be both a home for the company and a studio offering primarily modern dance-based classes.

"I emphasize creativity in my classes, all of which include some amount of improvisation. I also stress alignment and holistic body work. Most of the students are children, although we also have adult classes. The studio offers a wide range of styles, including modern, ballet, tap and hula. Others who rent the studio also teach belly dance, Okinawan and breakdancing."

For Shannon, now 33, life since her student days has become increasingly complex with marriage, motherhood, teaching (besides her own studio, she is at Kapi'olani Community College and in the public schools), and the business of a running a dance studio filling her time. It seemed as though her days as a choreographer might be over until last year, when belly dancer Willow Chang asked her to do a piece on a mixed program she was producing at Paliku Theatre.

Delighted to be returning to choreography, Shannon created a solo on a gifted dancer who had recently arrived at her studio. Shortly afterward, two original members of Convergence reappeared: Malia Yamamoto returned from New York, and Raina Racki became available after the closure of "Waikiki Nei." As other strong dancers turned up, Shannon felt able to resume company activities.

The result is "Re•Vision," featuring 11 dancers and four choreographers. Asked how difficult it is to produce such a concert, Shannon replied, "We try to do the concerts on a shoestring. We sell ads in the program, but most of the money is out-of-pocket. The next step will be to try to locate a larger, affordable venue and to raise funds through grant-writing."