Rosedale dancer's storytelling feet.
Shawn Byfield is taking part in the annual International Association of Blacks in Dance Festival, Jan. 26 - 29.
Photo/COURTESY
Given his first impressions of the dance world, Rosedale resident Shawn Byfield would seem an unlikely candidate to have become a well-respected performer, choreographer and dance instructor.
Byfield has climbed the ranks of the Canadian dance world and has made a name for himself primarily as a tap and hip hop dancer, though he has paired that experience with some acting chops to earn roles in such diverse productions as 'Hairspray', 'Blues Brothers 2000' and 'Royal Canadian Air Farce'.
His choreography has earned him a Dora Mavor Moore Award and a Gemini Award nomination.
He has also taught master dance classes across Canada and abroad and currently runs his own dance studio, Byfield Dance Experience (www.shawnbyfield.com).
For all of his success, Byfield was reluctant to get involved in the dance world as a child.
"I was a little bratty kid with too much energy so my mom tried to get me into dance classes," he said. "I thought, 'no way; that's for girls.'"
His attitude changed completely one day when he saw dance legend Gregory Hines tap dancing on television. The art form captivated him from the get-go, and he decided then and there he wanted to become a tap dancer.
He credits the instinctive nature of rhythm for getting him so engrossed in tap.
"It's so universal, the rhythm, that no matter who you are or where you are in the world, as soon as you hear (tap dancing) you stop and pay attention," he said.
Despite his love of tap dancing, mastering the craft had its share of challenges. Byfield noted he was "an awkward kid, pigeon-toed with bad arms" but he had an affinity for rhythm that helped him learn quickly.
As his style improved, he started to turn heads and even got to work with Hines, the man who set him on his immensely successful career path. The two worked together on the film 'Bojangles', a biopic about tap dancing legend Bill "Bojangles" Robinson.
"I was so awestruck, I went to shake his hand and opened my mouth to talk and nothing came out," Byfield said.
Byfield's energy and youthful appearance have led to numerous roles in films and on television. After several roles as a teen, however, he is looking to tackle new fare.
"I'm 35, but I look like I'm 14," he said.
Now, he creates his own work, choreographing pieces in which he uses his feet to tell a story. In his Dora Award-winning production "i think i can" the cast uses dance to share the experiences of a class of students looking to win a science fair. The entire story is told through dance.
When creating a piece, he said, he thinks first and foremost about the narrative he wants to convey.
"I think about the story, then I'll hear a rhythm and think, 'how can I transfer that rhythm in to my feet?'" he said.
Though he has travelled extensively for work, he is always happy to be back in the Rosedale neighbourhood he calls home. He has lived throughout the downtown Toronto core and relishes the peace and tranquility in his neighbourhood.
"There's always stuff going on (downtown) and a lot of sounds that can inspire me and make me want to find ways to incorporate them into a dance," he said. "I can work in my studio where's there's a beat and energy, go outside to the street and hear police sirens and tons of people and then it's nice to get home to the quiet and the calm."
In the coming weeks, Byfield will appear in the 24th annual International Association of Blacks in Dance Conference and Festival (www.danceimmersion.com) which will run at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre from Thursday, Jan. 26 through Sunday, Jan. 29.
Byfield will perform in the Canadian Showcase program at 9 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 26.
He will also perform in 'Syncopation: Life in the Key of Black', a Black History Month performance, at the Miles S. Nadal Jewish Community Centre's Al Green Theatre (www.algreentheatre.ca) at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 5.