Born in Perth, Shea started dancing at the age of 9 while living in New Orleans. Upon returning to Sydney in 1996, he quickly became a regular of classes here at Sydney Dance Company, taking his initial inspiration from the likes of Ramon Doringo, Sue-Ellen Chester & Missy Stevens. At the age of 18, he moved to Brisbane after finishing his HSC to continue his training at the Queensland University of Technology. Soon afterwards, he began his career as a performer when he was cast in the Conrad Jupiter’s show “Inneuvre” on the Gold Coast, working with international choreographer Molly Molloy. After a year there, he performed in Wakura,Japan for three months, then returned to Jupiter’s to finish out the show’s run in 2001.

Shortly afterwards, Shea moved to Melbourne, where he would audition for Royal Caribbean Cruises, starting his 7 year adventure on the high seas. During his four years with Royal Caribbean, he worked with choreographers from the highly acclaimed River North Dance Company, based in Chicago, extremely popular for it’s innovative contemporary jazz style. Moving to Princess Cruises for his final three years at sea, Shea worked with choreographers from LA & New York, furthering his exposure to American artists in the dance industry.

Over the years, Shea has worked with Ramon Doringo many times, performing at a variety of events, and in 2007 he danced at the Ausdance Awards, in a piece choreographed by Leslie Bell. He also began teaching at Sydney Dance Company, before returning to ships for his final year at sea. Now, feet firmly planted on dry land, Shea is happy and excited to be teaching again, hoping to one day pass on a small piece of the inspiration he received in these very studios.