Shannon Michaela Doree Smith (she/her)

Shannon is a ritualist, dancer, facilitator, traveler, administrator and lifelong student. She holds a BFA in Dance from SUNY Purchase and has taught contemporary dance techniques, authentic movement, and contact improvisation and served as Co-Founder / Co-Director of MA Dance. With roots in early 20th century modern dance pioneers, her passions have evolved to include consciousness studies from around the world whose maps have informed her perspective on healing trauma in the sacred body. Shannon has found a deep calling working for the water. She has participated in Global Water Dances since 2013, has been a contributor to Passionate Waters events and most recently founded Women of the Water, dedicated to supporting the international efforts of those rising up to work for the water – including water walkers and well tenders – giving special attention to women finding their voices in leadership.  For the last three years, she has been dedicated to visiting sacred sites in Ireland and throughout Europe as part of the ‘both /and” process of Decolonization / Indigenization including those of European descent. Writings on her journey of discovery can be found at returntosource.center. Since 2016, Shannon has been on the team of the Center for Earth Ethics which bridges Indigenous wisdom, ecology, and environmental justice into a moral framework to address the climate crisis. As part of the rekindling of the bardic fires, Shannon is proud to have been on the curatorial team of EarthStanzas poetry project with the Wick Poetry Center and a project lead for the GeoPoetic Mapping Project, Voices of the Earth, launched at Vote the Earth in 2020. In 2021, she completed two inaugural programs: a 2-year Weavers of the Grail program – (Women’s Spirituality and group facilitation in connection with land & sacred sites) through the Temple of Éiriú and the Embodied Social Justice 50 hour training with Rev. angel Kyodo williams, Dr. Sará King and Dr. Rae Johnson. In 2022, she was honored to be invited join the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival Committee. She finds the place of art, spirituality and ecology to be one of the most fulfilling marriages in her life.