Shayna Swanson
Projects and Productions
Projects that are currently filling me with life.
Brave Space
Collecting stars where ever it goes, Brave Space is a genre-bending, all woman immersive circus show that can pop up anywhere. Currently touring around the world. Shayna created Brave Space to bring audiences on a journey of trust and community building. Learn more at www.bravespaceshow.com
Sanctuary Cabaret
A punk rock circus cabaret show in a 115 year old church, Sanctuary is always changing and always welcoming. Shayna hosts and currates the show, bringing the badass circus artists from around the world to Chicago to share their art as it comes straight from their hearts.
The Pieces
Currently in development (and looking for funding--wink, nudge), The Pieces explores all the disparate bits of our lives that make us whole and what happens when they fail us. A precarious work of counterbalance and collaboration, the pieces invites the audience to design the acrobatic structures we use in the show, and then see in real time if they work or not. Let's hope they do.
Bespoke Corporate Creations
Sephira
A bespoke project created for the Whole Life Expo, Sephira illustrated the Kaballic concept to the "Tree of Life". This project included 6 acrobats interacting with vivid rear-projected animations and involved extensive collaboration and discussion between the Expo team, the design and technical teams and Shayna.
.jpg)
Science of Heart
This show was custom created, with a one-of-a-kind aerial horse skeleton apparatus, for Mori Seiki's annual meeting. It followed a Sad (rather than Mad) Scientist who had lost his passion for work, but found it rekindled as his creations came to life.
Work-A-Day
Shayna was approached by DIRRT to create a custom show for installation in the beautiful and iconic Chicago Theater. The client wanted the artists to illustrate key company concepts like Teamwork, Friendly Competition and Risk-taking.
Past Full Length Shows
Rolling Blackouts
The show that started it all. Shayna's first creation, in 2005, was inspired by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and examined how communites come together in times of crisis. This theme has stayed strong in Shayna's work ever since.
Dinner of our Discontent
In 2007, Dinner premiered, following 5 horrifying sisters as they sorted through their parents last wills and fought tooth and nail for every last cent. The worst people can make for the best art.
The Circus Princess
A show for audiences of all ages, this 20 min show was based on a real person and followed a nerd, a punk and a princess in a search for friendship. It ran for one month at the Legendary "Medora Musical" in North Dakota. From riding out on horses, to standing ovations everything, this show was an absolute delight!
Shows created for students
Under the Gaslight
This show was created for the Aloft Student Ensemble and followed an 8 week creation period with recreational circus students, using many invented apparatuses. The final project was outstanding and the students' willngness to embrace risk contributed to its success.
Chairing is Caring
This show was created with the Circesteem Advanced Youth Program over 2 weeks of intensive research. Shayna worked with the students to identify what is important to them and themes of climate, excess and consumerism came to the front. This show helped the students explore these ideas.
Terra
Terra was a creation with the first year students in Aloft Circus Art's Professional Training Program. Building a show that unified 12 very disparate acts was a uniqiue challenge, but the immersive nature of the show helped tie many ideas together into a story of borders and changing landscapes, and what home really means.
