Anna Shoen – Former Professional Dancer – Riverdale, NY

Hailing from the Bronx, Anna began dancing at the age of 3 and was extremely disappointed in the creative dance class, as it did not have enough rules and was too fluffy for her taste. Finally, at the age of 6 she was able to join her first real ballet class with Doina Wexler at the Riverdale Y! Anna danced there and then at Studio Meistro under the tutelage of Deborah Wingert, constantly struggling with rehearsals and performances on Shabbos. After turning down a spot at LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts in order to attend a modern Orthodox High School, she gave up dance. At Barnard College, her love for dance was reignited and she was given the opportunity to study South African (Xhosa) dance at the University of Cape Town. She was fortunate to meet Reggie Wilson at Barnard and became a member of hist Fist & Heel performance group shortly after graduating. In addition to working with the Fist & Heel Family, Anna has worked with The Metropolitan Opera for 5 seasons, Rebecca Lazier, zoe|juniper, The Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company, Raja Feather Kelly (The F3ather Theory), Aszure Barton and Artists, the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, Mark Dendy, and many other wonderful artists. She is also a recipient of a 2017 Bessie Award for sustained achievement and performance in the works of Reggie Wilson. After meeting an amazing man who grew up in a Chofetz Chaim family, Anna decided to gradually leave her performance life for a different life. Her final performance at BAM was a month before her wedding. Today Anna is a Genetic Counselor and dances in her kitchen with her family. She is loving it!