A story written by daily life, co-authored by the human mind. Directed by imagination twists. Starring illusions. Or facts? Where is the truth? Does it matter? Will you ever know? Do you want to know? Did you hear what I heard? Did you see what I saw? A soundtrack to your own consciousness.
 
Shawn and the Zebra, the brainchild of Claudia Hansen and Julia Oschewsky, is an experimental voice/percussion duo, which encompasses the common ground of music and movement theater. In combining these disciplines they go on a continuous quest to explore the movement in the music and the music in the movement. The incorporation of the visual and physical aspects associated with their music has been the core motivation to this ensemble. Both musicians compose the original music and the socially critical storyboards for the Shawn and the Zebra productions. Also the stage and light design is created by the ensemble itself. The music is a combination of the human voice and percussion instruments such as marimba and kalimba, which are enhanced by effects and loopstations. Shawn and the Zebra is music theater which makes the music - the main story telling device -  move around the theater's stage. In 2011 their debut show De</pending> will be premiered.
 
De</pending> is the debut show of Shawn and the Zebra. It is starring a person searching for inner peace and happiness, having an odd relation with its inner voice. It is about a person going through an important personal development in today's fast-beating and success-hunting society. It is about finding the balance between your inner self and your outer self. About being controlled by your inner world. About releasing yourself from yourself, about being controlled by the outer world. About depending, pending, depending, pending and the urge to find your own balance.
 
Claudia Hansen
(1984) was born in Luxembourg. She studied classical percussion at the Conservatoire de Luxembourg with Paul Mootz and Emmanuel Séjourné where she received her diploma in 2004. She continued her studies at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam earning a Bachelor of Music in 2009 as a student of Peter Prommel, Nick Woud, Jan Pustjens, Victor Oskam, Mark Braafhart, Lorenzo Ferrandiz and Arnold Marinissen.
Claudia has performed in a variety of orchestras including the European Union Youth Wind Orchestra, Orchestre de Chambre du Festival d'Echternach, Amsterdam Jazz Philharmonic Orchestra, Nederlands Studenten Orkest, Nationaal Jeugd Orkest and Het Promenade Orkest, as well as music theatre and opera productions such as Joe-De Hemel kan wachten (2008, Koen van Dijk, M-Lab, Amsterdam), Medea (2007, AHK, Amsterdam), Een Konijn van Porselein (2010, Ad de Bont, Toneelmakerij, Amsterdam) and Juffrouw Julie (2011/ Koen de Sutter/ Theater Artemis, 's Hertogenbosch). 
Claudia was a member of the percussion quartet DAMP from 2002 until 2005. In 2007 she became artistic director the electro/acoustic/visual project AGAYA-SHI. A DVD was realized in 2008 about the jazz/visual project SENSING CITY where she has been a member.
At the moment Claudia is a member of the free jazz band BRAM STADHOUDERS KORPS, the recorder/percussion/theatre duo MISS LOBSTER and the percussion group NORTH SEA PERCUSSION COLLECTIVE. Her solo repertoire emphasizes the theatrical elements of percussion. Claudia teaches percussion in Amsterdam and is also a professional photographer.
www.claudiahansen.com
 
Julia Oschewsky
(1981) was born in Mainz/Germany. After highschool graduation she spends one year as a guest student at the Conservatory of Cologne where her curiosity on Jazz related music finds its origin in lessons of Anne Hartkamp.
In 2003 she is accepted at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.
There she studies with Ge Titulaer, Eileen Fiss, Lydia van Dam, Deborah Brown, Annett Andriesen, Edwin Rutten andRonald Douglas and graduates in 2007 with the Bachelor of Arts (Jazz Voice). During her following Master study also at the Amsterdam Conservatory (graduation in 2009) she gets the opportunity to study at the Manhattan School of Music in New York where she works with Theo Bleckmann, Kate McGarry, Peter Eldridge and Dave Liebman.
Julia also acquires certificates in the Estill Voice Training System: Level1 and 2 with Anne-Marie Speed (2006/07) and Advanced with Dorte Hyldstrup and Helga Westmark (2009).
She played in the musical "The Who's Tommy" playing the part of Sally Simpson. She also performed with orchestras such as the Orchestra of the Dutch Royal Airforce (conducted by Arjan Tien) and the BuJazzO 2007-2009 (Bundesjugengjazzorchester Deutschland) where she worked with Marco Lackner, Bill Dobbins, Ed Partyka, Efrat Alony, Dena De Rose, Ramamani, T.A.S. Mani, Mike Herting and Ramesh Shotam.
Since Julia has also always been interested in combining both her love for theater and that for Jazz, she creates a musical theater production in 2006 called "The Fringe - A Jazz Musical" with music by her her band playing her own compositions.
With her band Julia performed on festivals such as New Generation Contest, Jazz an der Donau, Amersfoort Jazz Festival, Bingen Swingt and IJazz Festival.
Her debut album "Inner Game" was released on May 29th on the German label Neuklang.
www.julia-oschewsky.de