Shenandoah Harris is a Los Angeles based movement practitioner. She is the founder and Director of Psychopomp Dance Theater, an LA based theatrical movement company. Psychopomp is a narrative movement company grounded in viscerally athletic, high risk acrobatic and ritualistic dance. The company’s work utilizes virtuosic dancing bodies, narrative storytelling and scenic elements to explore modern day social issues through the structure of Jewish culture and thought. Recently, Psychopomp’s work has been presented in Seattle at the Yaw Theater, Keshet Arts in Albuquerque, at the Glorya Kaufman Performing Arts Center and Lighting in A Bottle Music Festival. Shenandoah’s work was commissioned by the Brand Library Dance Series in 2023 where she created a site specific evening length outdoor performance highlighting the unique architecture of the Brand Library. At this performance she premiered her 2023 work NAMES, a viscerally athletic and narrative adaptation of the Exodus story which utilizes a twenty five foot long rope. This work has since been performed throughout Los Angeles and was commissioned by the City of Culver City to be presented at Temple Akiba of Culver City to celebrate Passover 2024. Miss Harris has been the Artist in Residence at Keshet Makerspace in 2024, The Glorya Kaufman Center in 2024 and Mashup Contemporary Dance in 2019. In 2022 she was a year long Curriculum in Motion fellow at Jacob’s Pillow. In 2024 Shenandoah premiered her newest evening length work, Der Golem which tells the story of a community creating the ancient folklore creature of a Golem. Over the course of the piece the dancers use several large pieces of fabric, a sewing machine and ritualistic dance to construct and sew together a Golem in front of the audience. The work was heralded as masterfully choreographed and will be presented in partnership with The City of West Hollywood and Jewish Family Services LA in 2025 among other touring performances. 

Miss Harris curates and produces a yearly multidisciplinary new works dance festival, CHAOS! Which brings together choreographers from across the country.  This festival is meant as an incubator of new ideas and aims to assist artists in fully realizing out of the box concepts in a supportive environment. Miss Harris also hosts a yearly Creation Workshop in tandem with CHAOS! Participants that range from pre-professional, professional or hobbyist dancers work with Shenandoah and Psychopomp artists in developing a brand new collaborative dance work. Each morning begins with technique classes rotating focus on Modern, Acro and Floorwork technique, Partnering and Improvisation. The second half of the workshop transitions into creation with Miss Harris sharing a variety of choreographic tools and tactics culminating in a fifteen minute new work that the participants perform for a live audience on the final day as a part of one evening of the CHAOS! Festival. In its fourth year, the Creation Workshop is a mainstay in the creative dance culture of Los Angeles offering not only high level technique training in contemporary, acro, floorwork and partnering but also training in choreographic composition and performance experience as well. 

Prior to creating Psychopomp Shenandoah danced with Diavolo Architecture in Motion, touring nationally. While dancing for Diavolo Miss Harris taught extensively, teaching master classes for universities in addition to teaching throughout LAUSD (los angeles united school district), veteran’s groups and pre-professional dance arts academies.  

Miss Harris has worked as a temporary lecturer for UC Santa Barbara in Modern Dance and has taught guest courses in Choreography, Prop and Set use for dancers and worked as the Choreographic Dramaturge for UCSB’s 2024 production Indecent. She also is a regular guest teacher at Pomona College and CSU Fullerton in Modern Dance. Recently she has worked with CSUN’s Rick Mitchell on his newest theatrical work Flickering Paradise as the choreographer.

 Lastly Miss Harris is a Personal Trainer, Corrective Exercise Specialist, Fascial Mobility Specialist and a certified Nutrition Counselor. She runs a second fitness and wellness business, L’Chaim Fitness. She coaches a variety of clients ranging in age and abilities in strength training, cultivating healthier lifestyles and improving the longevity and quality of their lives.