Anat Shinar, Artistic Director
Artistic Director & Teaching Artist
She/Her
Anat Shinar (hear it) is a Twin Cities-based dancer, choreographer, contemporary multidisciplinary performance artist, educator, curator, and Artistic Director of Young Dance. She graduated from the University of Minnesota with a BFA in Dance and a BA in Visual Arts, and completed her Master’s degree in Arts and Cultural Leadership, also at UMN. Her work has been commissioned by and presented at Hair + Nails Gallery, Center for Performance Research (Brooklyn), The Minnesota Museum of American Art, Walker Art Center, Pillsbury House Theater, Red Eye Theater, Southern Theater, The Soap Factory, SooVAC, and the Bryant-Lake Bowl. Anat was a 2018 Naked Stages Fellow at Pillsbury House Theater in Minneapolis.
Anat’s teaching philosophy is that everybody can (and should!) dance. She believes that movement allows people of all ages to connect to themselves and those around them, and that dance is not only good for our bodies, it develops our skills to effectively collaborate, adapt, and communicate. At Young Dance, Anat has taught dancers of all ages and abilities. She developed and continues to lead programming in juvenile corrections in Hennepin and Ramsey Counties, integrating concepts of mindfulness, interpersonal skills, and emotion regulation into her teaching practice.
As an educator, Anat blends an appetite for physical challenge with a love of individual expression. She meets dancers where they are, leading them through a journey to discover more about themselves and empowering them to be active contributors in a collaborative class environment.
Before taking on the role of Artistic Director, Anat worked for Young Dance in many capacities, including consulting, fundraising, development, and directing community partnerships.