Phoenix Festival Playbill 2025 (1) - Flipbook - Page 31
WHO’S WHO: THE ARTISTS
SHAWN RAWLS (Choreographer)
Shawn Rawls is a choreographer, performer, and educator whose work
lives at the intersection of contemporary dance, physical theatre, and
Afro-surrealist narrative. He is the founder and Artistic Director of
Emotions Physical Theatre, a company dedicated to creating
emotionally charged, socially engaged works that explore identity,
masculinity, and healing through bold physicality and storytelling.
Rawls holds an MFA in Choreography from Wilson College and a BFA in Dance from
Belhaven University, where he studied on full scholarship. His training spans a wide range
of forms including hip hop, breaking, popping, capoeira, Graham, Horton, Limón, Hawkins
release, and classical ballet. This breadth of movement informs a choreographic style that is
visceral, poly-rhythmic, and deeply rooted in lived experience. His choreography has been
presented nationally and internationally, with highlights including the OnStage Festival in
Rome, Italy; a full evening concert in Ōishidaira, Japan; the Phoenix Festival; and multiple
commissions from Rockland Center for the Arts. His work has also been seen at the Actors
Fund Arts Center, Manhattan College, and the Rhode Island and Baltimore Fringe Festivals.
Rawls’ artistic mission is to use dance as a vehicle for introspection, transformation, and
cultural dialogue—bridging raw physicality with nuanced emotional truth.
A Tyler Brunson
Omari Constaste
DeAndre Cousley
Rasha Guerrier
AJ Guevara
Maria Pellegrino
