SHOSHANA WASSERMAN

Shoshana Wasserman

Shoshana Wasserman, a Native American from the Muskogee and Seminole tribes, resides in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She has been the Artistic Director for the Great American Indian Dancers since 1987. In addition to her artistic duties with the company, she also serves as public relations and marketing director for the City Arts Center of Oklahoma City.
Shoshana began her performing career at the Lyric Theatre in Oklahoma City. She then continued her studies at Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma on a theater scholarship. While attending Cameron, she performed in a variety of stage shows at the University Theater and with Cameron University Children’s Theater Company. In 1988, Shoshana graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Science Degree in elementary education, specializing in minority research. She is currently working on a Master’s Degree in public relations at the University of Oklahoma.
Since her performances with the University Theater, she has performed in the Oklahoma Children’s Theater show entitled: KIOWA STORIES FROM THE EARTH. She has also done appearances in numerous industrial films as a part of the Fullerton Modeling and Acting Agency. In addition, she helped design and perform in a national educational video which targets young Native American students in the prevention of Diabetes.
As Artistic Director for the company, Shoshana has combined her educational and theater background in designing the Great American Indian Dancers Children’s Concert and Workshop Series. These products combine sound educational principles with theatrical techniques to create both an entertaining and educational experience. For her efforts, she was recognized at the National Indian Education Conference in Anchorage, Alaska as a leader in implementing Native American dance in school cirriculum.
She currently serves as the chairman of the Oklahoma State Commission of Indian Affair’s "Cultural Arts Promotion Society" and as a cultural advisor for the Joseph Harp Correctional Facility in Lexington, Oklahoma. She is active in promoting young Indian women through her involvement in local and state pageants. She has served as head women dancer for many Native American gatherings and has won numerous awards in Indian women’s dance competition.
Shoshana is a well balanced performer and arts manager with a combination of classical theater, educational and traditional Native American teachings that enables her to design and choreograph performances for a wide variety of audiences. Her travels with the company have taken her throughout the United States, Mexico and Europe.