Shelly Cook-Contreras is an internationally exhibited performance artist. She earned her MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute’s New Genres Department, and has taught performance at San Jose State University, New College, and La Esmeralda, the premier university of Mexico City. Her performance projects have been funded by the California Arts Council, the National Endowments for the Arts, the ASU Institute for Art and Technology, and others.
Shelley trained extensively in Butoh Dance with Hiroko Tamano, Maureen Fleming, Katsura Kan, and Diego Pinion. She creates solo and ensemble works within the Butoh discipline, as well as films, and installation artworks. She believes that Butoh offers a potent experience of the human heart and states, “Art holds the subconscious expression of humankind, and, like our dreams, communicates hidden truths with-in its images.” Her teaching blends rigorous art practice with the body wisdom from her years as a bodywork practitioner. She can be contacted via https://vimeo.com/shelleycookcontreras.