About Nicola

:: Education :: Dance Training :: Performance and Teaching Experience ::
:: Créme de la Créme - Eshta Ya Amar ::

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Praised for living in the moment of the dance, for her graceful, smooth and fluid style, her natural talent, and for her authentic representation of Middle Eastern dance styles, Nicola has been called "the intelligent dancer's dancer" by her mentor, Shayera.

Nicola began her studies in the dance in January of 1997, as a way to reconnect with her body and spirit. She was lucky to find the right teacher at the right studio - Shayera, teaching a small class out of Bravado Dance Studio. Accidentally trying the intermediate level, Nicola was simultaneously blown away and swept up in the dance from the first class. She soon began taking both beginner and intermediate classes, and was actively coached by Shayera early in her training.

Her first tentative forays into performing were class recitals, and a year later she was performing solo at the Fat Angel Bistro Student Night, then onstage in a workshop show, featuring Hadia. Shayera continued to be a her mentor, generously sharing costuming tips, sewing help, performance skills, explaining styles and music, and offering feedback. Nicola has been an active performer in all manner of performance venues, as well as a dedicated teacher with a strong commitment to scholarship, technique, authenticity and artistry.

She has established a reputation as a thorough instructor and a compelling, charming dancer.

“Dancing is the loftiest, the most moving, the most beautiful of the arts, because it is no mere translation or abstraction from life; it is life itself.” Havelock Ellis