Ms. Shedia Asiya Nelson - Author, Poet & Playwright

Shedia Asiya Nelson manages 4 programs at URGENT, Inc. and has directed, choreographed and coordinated more than 20 productions with URGENT, Inc. Her most notable youth led production series of "She Kept Her Bra On: Chronicles of a Teenage Love Affair" in promoting teen dating violence awareness was adapted to film in summer of 2013 "Keeping it On" debuted under the direction of Jalen James Acosta. Her role as an actress and screenwriter with the supporting dynamic original cast from the play was well received. Her publications extend to 10 noteworthy poetry anthologies and through her Art of Healing Writing company she has edited manuscripts for graduate level psychology, fiction and non-fiction.

Nelson is an accomplished dancer versed in traditional African dance and Brazilian samba based movement where her performance and training extends more than 20 years. In Hawai’i, she performed with Samba Axe and First Circle: African drum and dance companies. She also performed South African based dance movement at Hawai’i Pacific University’s Travel Industry Management annual banquet for three years. During her senior year at Hawai'i Pacific University she toured with Up with People's Broadway style musical production, "A Common Beat" where she was the dance lead for all of the African dances in addition to a monologue. She obtained a bachelors degree in Communications with a concentration in Theater from Hawai'i Pacific University.

Currently, she performs with Venus Rising, Delou Africa and Jude Papaloko & Loray Mistik. Dance is an evolution of transcending movement that inspires my body to speak in harmony. To dance is poetic expression like painting a canvas of melody where my heart and soul is the instrument.