SHURA BARYSHNIKOV is a performer, director, and choreographer who works broadly across dance, theatre, and opera. Compelled by diverse problem solving for the body in motion, Shura embraces a wide creative continuum. From improvisation in performance to intimacy direction and ensemble design for large production, she prioritizes the health of creative spaces and collaborative relationships.
With contributions to over 50 theatrical and musical productions, choreographic and performance credits include projects with Apple TV, Hartford Stage Company, Boston Lyric Opera, Baryshnikov Arts, Trinity Repertory Company, FirstWorks, Motion State Arts, Emmanuel Music, The Wilbury Theater Group, Burbage Theatre Co., The Gamm Theatre, Urbanity Dance, Odyssey Opera, and the Contemporary American Theater Festival.
Shura co-founded the dancer-directed performance project Doppelgänger Dance Collective and the Contact Improvisation research and performance ensemble SetGo. She has collaborated closely with dance artists Paul Singh, Sarah Konner, Bradley Teal Ellis, Heidi Henderson, Besty Miller, and Gabriel Forestieri, among others, and with theatre directors such as Anne Bogart, Melia Bensussen, Maria Mileaf, and Kimberly Senior. She also has worked for over ten years with cellist/composer Adrienne Taylor, the musical director for Doppelgänger Dance Collective and co-creator of their duet projectTwo.
Shura is an Associate Professor of the Practice in Theatre Arts & Performance Studies at Brown University where she has instructed since 2011. For nine years, she served as Head of Physical Theatre for the Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Programs for Actors and Directors where she designed and administered the movement curriculum for the training program; she also served as Director of Graduate Studies for the program from 2020 - 2026.
In 2022, Shura established Contemporary Dance Studio Project, an ongoing training, research, and repertory model for intermediate to advanced contemporary dancers at Brown University. In her studio, she employs research in a range of postmodern dance and improvisatory frameworks including contemporary floorwork and Release Techniques, Contact Improvisation, Viewpoints Technique, and Action Theatre. In 2025, Shura was also certified as a Countertechnique teacher, a movement system to help the dancer think about the dancing body, focusing on the process of incorporating information into action.
Shura is a proud member of three unions, Actors' Equity Association, the American Guild of Musical Artists, and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, and serves on the board of Rhode Island-based Motion State Arts. Motion State Arts celebrates contemporary dance and movement-based art by incubating innovative ideas and presenting forward-thinking performances.
FACULTY POSITIONS AND COURSES TAUGHT
2011-present BROWN UNIVERSITY, Associate Professor of the Practice, Department of Theatre Arts & Performance Studies (TAPS)
COURSES TAUGHT:
Contemporary Partnering - TAPS
Dance Composition - TAPS
Contemporary Dance Studio Project - TAPS (see below)
Embodied Creative Practice - Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Programs
The Viewpoints Technique - TAPS and Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Programs
Tools for the Creation of Solo Performance - Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Programs
Collaborative Devising and Ensemble Storytelling - Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Programs
The Instinctual Body - Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Programs
2020 - 2026 BROWN UNIVERSITY, Director of Graduate Studies: Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Programs for Actors
and Directors
2017 - 2026 BROWN UNIVERSITY, Head of Physical Theatre: Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Programs for Actors and Directors
2020 ENDICOTT COLLEGE; Guest Choreographer
2017 NORTH KARELIA COLLEGE, Department of Dance; Outokumpu, Finland; Guest Instructor in Contact Improvisation and Guest Choreographer
2017 ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY; Guest Choreographer
2016 CONNECTICUT COLLEGE; Adjunct Dance Faculty, Experimental Workshop: Introduction to Improvisation/Contact Improvisation
2016 KEENE STATE COLLEGE; Guest Choreographer
2014-2022 MOSES BROWN SCHOOL; Dance Program Coordinator
2010-2015 RHODE ISLAND BALLET SCHOOL; Contemporary Dance Faculty
2015 DEAN COLLEGE; Adjunct Dance Faculty, Intermediate Contemporary Technique
2014 SALVE REGINA UNIVERSITY; Guest Choreographer
2014-2015 MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY; Guest Instructor in Viewpoints Technique
ONGOING ADDITIONAL LECTURE + INSTRUCTION SITES (SELECT):
The Field Center
Bates Dance Festival
Play Practice Artist Residency / Apprenticeship Intensive
Lawrence University
Amherst College
Loyola Marymount University
Ohio University
Bennington College
Boston Conservatory at Berklee
Roger Williams University
Interlochen Arts Academy
Rhode Island College
Keene State College
School for Contemporary Dance and Thought
Newport Contemporary Ballet
Urbanity Dance
The Dance Complex
Green Street Studios
Contact Meets Contemporary Festival
Paris Contact Improvisation Gathering
International Contact Festival Freiburg
les 1001 Festival Contact Improvisation
Lake Studios Berlin
Earthdance
Midday Movement Series
Peaceable Barn
AS220 Dance
Rhode Island Women's Choreography Project
National Criminal Defense College
The Dragon's Egg Studio
The Zeiterion Performing Arts Center
Alliance for Artists' Community Conference
Realizing Empathy Conference
*CONTEMPORARY DANCE STUDIO PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Contemporary Dance Studio Project (CDSP) was established by TAPS Associate Professor of the Practice Shura Baryshnikov in the Fall of 2022. Designed to function as a training, research, and repertory model, students are encouraged to repeat the course, often multiple times, continually growing their range as movers, collaborators, and performers.
In the Fall semester, Contemporary Dance Studio Project supports the mentorship and production of works by student makers, and in the Spring, supports the creation of choreographies by faculty and guest artists. In seven semesters of performance, CDSP has brought 17 new works to the stage and built a cohort of dedicated dance practitioners. The opportunity to participate in the creation and performance of new work is an essential part of CDSP's mission and vital to a robust dance education.
Guest artists in Contemporary Dance Studio Project have included Baye & Asa, Stephanie Batten Bland, Kellie Ann Lynch, Paul Singh, Colin Stilwell, Laila Franklin, Victoria Lynn Awkward, Maree ReMalia, Marissa Molinar, Joshua Tuason, Stephanie Turner, Ali Kenner-Brodsky, Sarah Konner, Makisig Akin, Anya Cloud, and Heidi Henderson. Stacy Matthew Spence, mayfield brooks, and Ogemdi Ude will visit CDSP in Spring 2026.