is a dance artist originally from Gifu, Japan, who lives and dedicates time to their artistic practice in Vancouver, Canada as a settler on the unceded, ancestral territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

Through choreography hybridized with heritage art forms such as calligraphy interacting with objects and design, Shion’s work utilizes a sensitive intensity to navigate identity and the body’s complex internal and external worlds through performance.

Shion has performed their work across Canada, including presentations at Tangente (Montréal), Prismatic Arts Festival (Halifax), Festival of New Dance (St. John’s), and Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto). Their short dance films have been screened at festivals globally, including Dancing on the Edge Festival (Canada), International Portrait Film Festival (Bulgaria), CAPSULE by the National Arts Centre (Canada), Hibrido Brazilian Videodance Festival (Brazil), and Dance Days Chania (Greece) among others. As a performer, she has interpreted the works of artists such as Anya Saugstad (Furious Grace Dance Theatre), Vanessa Goodman (Action at a Distance), Wen Wei Dance, plastic orchid factory, Company 605, and Ziyian Kwan (Odd Meridian Arts). Shion holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance (Kinesiology minor) from Simon Fraser University, is a certified yoga teacher, and is the recipient of the Iris Garland Emerging Choreographer Award (2022) and the Chrystal Dance Prize (2023).

Photo credit: Sewari Campillo