Testimonials

Having Ms. Nicole as a teacher was an incredible and enjoyable learning experience. It not only improved my modern technique, but I felt like I knew my body and the way it moved better than ever before. I learned different connections of the body and ways to make sure I am taking care of it, stretches, proper head tail movements, and overall technique. Mrs. Nicole's teaching was largely beneficial towards my dance experience and for that I am thankful.
-- Hailey Klebe, Design in Motion Dance

Ms. Nicole was my first exposure to modern movement vocabulary. Growing up and taking ballet classes was fulfilling but it was all I ever knew until I was given the opportunity to learn modern dance at my ballet studio with Ms. Nicole as my instructor. My love for dance grew tremendously and my curiosity about what modern dance was continued to flourish while being enrolled in her class. Not only is Nicole knowledgeable about different styles, pedagogies and techniques within the modern dance genre, but she has an acute knowledge for the somatic practices of the body and how they can relate movement to dance. Nicole also taught me a lot about how to translate stories, themes, and ideas through movement, something that is not as easily apparent in ballet technique. Nicole opened my eyes and gave me a good strong foundation of modern dance technique that I have built upon in my current life today. I had been taking modern dance with Nicole for four years, and two years later was accepted into Baltimore-based Modern Dance Company, Deep Vision Dance Company, none of which would have been possible without the expansive foundation Nicole helped me build.
--Olivia Serrill, Metropolitan Ballet Theatre

When we began the semester, I expected this class to be like the others where you listen to a lecture of pre-planned material, take exams over it, and then you are finished. This class was far from that because we all learned what black dance was together...I really enjoyed this method of learning because it allowed me to invest myself in the topic of black dance. I was able to discover and discuss what black dance means to me.

--Katheryn Herrington, Texas Tech University

In the past 10 years, Ms. Nicole has taught my daughter everything from ballet to modern dance as well as choreography. She has run endless hours of rehearsals for Nutcracker and numerous spring shows. She is amazing at teaching technique, vocabulary, discipline, and most of all, love of dance and self. I feel that Nicole's teaching style is so unique because she really seems to be able to reach each and everyone of her students. Not only do they love her classes, but they also just love being around her. They respect her on so many levels; teacher, performer and a really good person. Nicole is able to bring out the very best in her students. She is a very positive role model and has high expectations for herself as well as her students. Her authenticity and love of what she does shines through and people gravitate to her. As a parent, I will always be grateful to Nicole for the wonderful impact she has had on my daughter.
--Michelle George, Metropolitan Ballet Theatre

Having Ms. Nicole as a teacher was integral to my dance training. I began a basic understanding of bones and muscles, and first realized that I need not always rely on large muscle groups to perform certain movements. Studying both ballet and modern from Ms. Nicole helped me understand that each technique can inform one another. I was pushed in her modern classes to explore improvisation, which was incredibly uncomfortable for me at the time. Without the foundation I received from studying with Ms. Nicole, I would have been far less prepared to excel in the BFA program from which I am now about to graduate.
-- Beth Griffin, Metropolitan Ballet Theatre