Lua Shayenne is a dancer, choreographer, storyteller, dance instructor and producer of Shayenne Productions.

A 2016/17/18 K.M. Hunter Dance and 2013 TELUS Newcomer artist award nominee, Lua was recently in Brendan Fernandes’ (Us/Canada) In Touch, Lars Jan’s (NYC/LA) Holoscenes (Toronto/ Florida/ Miami/ New York/ London,UK/ Abu Dhabi/ Australia tours), Jenn Goodwin’s Should I Stumble (Canada), Lemi Ponifasio’s (New Zealand) Apocalypsis - Luminato Festival and Karen Kaeja’s Flock Landing (Canada).

Lua is the creator and performer of a series of the new solo dance theatre shows ‘Tales and Dance Around the Baobab’. The first series was presented by Waterfront. The second one will be presented by Arts In The Parks July 21 & 22 at the Scarborough Museum.

Lua has choreographed for Porch View Dances (Kaeja D’dance), Dusk Dances, the Living Art centre School programming, IFT theatre/Obsidean Theatre. She is regularly commissioned to create dance works for youth by various community-based organizations and schools.

Shayenne is a recipient of the 2013 BMO seeds Fund Award for Artists working in community for her children’s project Under the Baobab. Lua facilitates dance and theatre workshops for various organizations, schools and universities. In 2008, she was awarded one of 12 spots reserved for outstanding dancers in the Choreographers Lab/ Community Arts Practice at the school of Jacob’s Pillow (MA, US). 

Lua is a community engaged-artist and has produced several projects such as Tales and Dances Under The Baobab, a series that draws on the power of storytelling and African dance and music to connect with audiences of all ages and Dancing Rivers of Wellbeing, a program for older adults that uses the mediums of West African dance and drumming to increase their expressive range, voice their creativity and improve their physical health.