About Us
Vanessa Shields
"V" is the new Black
Although Vanessa has confided in us that when watching TV, that she has an uncontrollable urge to scroll through the channels backwards. We have highly trained leads with whom she will teach who will keep her on the right track in case she tries to count you in with "8, 7, 6, 5."
Vanessa describes her own dancing as zrapitdootiful and tries to avoid self-proclaimed "fugly dancing."
On the romantic front, she and count one have been an item for as long as she can remember. She says she still gets butterflies thinking about him. "It's a really intense relationship, you know, because he's the one. It's like we're soul mates." She did share with us a poem she wrote count one, but we understand this website is viewed by millions of dancers (and dancing hopefuls) of all ages, and we didn't think the content was PG.
The worst thing Vanessa did as a child was stealing a peppermint patty when she was five. It started to melt in the car because she sat on it to keep it hidden from her parents. She recalls being clever enough to put it in the freezer when she returned home. She did not have a keen memory to match her cleverness; she did not remember to remove her stolen goods and her mom found it later deformed in the freezer. They made her return in to the store. The only things she may steal now are moves.
We're not completely sure, but we have an inkling that Vanessa is not only a skilled lindy hopper, but is a pro at the robot. Oh, correction, Vanessa described her dancing at prom as "robotic." Close enough; feel free to ask her for a demonstration if you're willing to beatbox for her.
She says she finds a lot of the inspiration for her dancing in Austin dancers. Her favorite jazz albums are The Sinatra Christmas Album and Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas. Yes, you may have to swing out these tunes in the heat of August. Two of her favorite non-jazz albums are Sufjan Stevens: Illinois and Air: Moon Safari. She says If a song were written about her, it would be titled "Blueberry Orangsicles." We don't know what that means, but we think it might be something along the lines of the classic "popsicle toes."
Vanessa's advice for new dancers: