A young Black dancer during the decline of Washington, DC's Black dance golden age (1932 – 2000), Short represents one of the last African-American dance artists to study with Mike Malone (the founding director of Howard University's Musical Theatre department), and D.C. dancers and teachers such as Tyrone Murray, Assane Konte, Adrian Bolton, Katherine Smith, Sandra Fortune-Green, Adrian Vincent James, Fabian Barnes, and Miya Hisaka.
At that time in DC, Shawn decided to participate in a model call for fashion show producer Harvey Star Washington.
He received callbacks from John Casablancas modeling agency, meeting and working with Ean Williams (who now heads DC Fashion Week and is also the Chief Designer of Corjor International).
He toured with the Lions Honors Band under Dr. Sparks, formerly of the University of Maryland College Park's music department.
His original musical composition in Dissonance Dance Theatre's New York City production "What The Eye Sees" debuted in 2010.
He has been commissioned by Catholic University of America's Benjamin T. Rome School of Music to choreograph Mother's Blood (2008),[18] VF Dance Theater for the Kennedy Center of the Performing Arts to choreograph Genotype Called Love for their Terrace Theatre production of Futurology (2012).
His work has been presented at the Capital Fringe Festival, Greater Washington Urban League National Conference, Southeastern University, Artists' Bloc 12X6 Series, Harke Theatre, Jack Guidone Theatre Space, Atlas Performing Arts Center, THEARC Theatre, Joe's Movement Emporium, DC Parks and Recreation, Sidney Harman Hall, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, PBS Broadcasting, VelocityDC, and Brooklyn Arts Exchange, Alliance for New Music-Theatre, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and WTTG (FOX 5) television.
[23] Short is also a founding faculty member of the Washington Ballet's south education campus in southeast DC, WSB@THEARC.
[citation needed] Short's students have included actress and playwright Asia Martin, actress Maya Allicock, Broadway 2015 Matilda-performer Cole Edelstein, Equity Actress/playwright Melissa Victors, "Dolly" 2019 national tour performer (Barnaby) Sean Burn, and others.
NFW highlights urban and classic dance society, human relationships, cultural history, and "visual-choreo" art through documentaries and narrative film.