The first episode in a new series that celebrates artists breaking cultural barriers in dance—co-curated with NOWNESS by Jacob's Pillow, home to America's longest running international dance festival.

Feather-light, weightless, transcendent... These are some of the words commonly used to describe Bill Shannon’s singular style of dance. The Pittsburgh-based artist has captivated audiences for decades with a hybrid virtuosity that combines choreography and skateboarding with rocker-bottom crutches.

Director Leo Pfeifer captured Shannon in this poetic film that exemplifies the artist’s journey and evolving dance lexicon. Shot in New York City, Body Language: Bill Shannon also showcases Pfeifer’s immaculate cinematic language and flair for character-driven storytelling.

Shannon has developed a distinct dance vocabulary—dubbed “The Shannon Technique”—that takes kinetic cues from house and hip hop dance cultures. Some audiences may simply be enthralled by his exquisite poise and balance, while others are confounded by his ability to kickflip into a moonwalk on a skateboard. The artist’s vernacular style, however, is more than meets the eye.

Shannon’s lived experiences codify each stance, giving rise to moves such as “Japan Tuck,” “Finger-Flip Toe Stall,” and “360 Sweeper Kick-Out.” Naming these techniques reveals the hybrid nature of his dance, which is shaped by life-long disability-based movement history, skateboarding, and street performance art.

As captured in this elevated film, cities have long been Shannon's political and sociological playground; starting in his teens, when he was apprehended by police for protesting Pittsburgh's proposed ban on skateboarding, and continuing into the 00s when he invited audiences to covertly follow him around Manhattan in a tour bus to see how pedestrians react when confronted by artistic dexterity combined with physical disability.

Even though Shannon has choreographed work for Cirque du Soleil, performed solo at Sydney Opera House, and is a Guggenheim Fellow in Dance, the streets were where his moves were born. Ultimately, this film is a fist bump to New York City—a visual homage to the place that has nurtured Shannon's creativity and unrivaled ingenuity. 

An Interview with Director Leo Pfeifer

Is there anything you discussed with Bill that shaped your direction or visual language?
The nuanced reaction from the world around him is central to Bill's work and that quickly became the basis of the film's visual language. We chose New York as our backdrop for this reason as each passerby's reaction, or lack thereof, became part of the performance. He starts off as a figure exiting the subway and we evolved the movement and aesthetics of the film to expose the viewer to Bill's emotional journey.

What is your visual approach to character-driven storytelling?
The best part (and biggest challenge) of this project was its unique combination of dance film and documentary. Visually, the piece is about the escape from reality to something "more;" more elevated, more beautiful, more expressive. We explored this through lensing, camera movement, and other subtle tools. The New York that we begin in isn't the New York we end in.

What drew you to Bill’s story?
It's obvious when an artist is dedicated to creating unique expressions through their craft. I was totally blown away watching his performances and was so excited to work with him. We spent hours exploring the creative behind the project. It wasn't about depicting one neat, simple truth but rather exploring some very specific unknowns that became ever-more interesting as we began shooting.

What did you learn from this project?
A big lesson in all of my projects is the beauty of the unexpected. When you take all the mechanisms of a film shoot out into the real world to capture a person's story, the exact plan you entered with will always diverge from the roadmap. If you embrace those moments you'll discover the heart of the project on a much deeper level.