Shadidja Parker Ellis is a native of New York City, later grew up in Raleigh, NC and has been studying dance since 2005. She received a BA in Dance and a BA in Criminal Justice from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Her professional interests include training at dance intensives, taking master classes, and program management. She has performed at the Joyce Theatre in NYC, attended the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, worked with Christal Brown, George Faison and Sigal Zouk. She received her MFA in Dance at Hollins University and studied at the Plovdiv Cultural Institute with Metheor in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Currently, Shadidja is an Adjunct lecturer at Meredith College and has been performing professionally with Black Box Dance Theatre since 2024.