We were lucky to catch up with Jamie Nichols recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jamie, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
Wow! What a great question! As a dancer, movement teacher, choreographer and dance producer it is critical to stay inspired and creative.
Inspiration comes from many places and will begin from a teacher’s POV.
Students inspire vision in the studio, their energy and desire to move gives me the mental strength to take risks, dive deep into new concepts, engage their creativity and get them to believe in their own potential. The dancers give their hearts allow me to create new and challenging movement stories. It is important to take risks.
As a choreographer, creativity stays alive through life experiences, and allowing emotions, music and nature to let me breathe movement into my creative process. I try to use all aspects of life and allow the honesty of true spirit. The loss of a loved one, social inequity, a hike in the wildflower super bloom, listening to birds, watching the bees in the garden or seeing the success people I care about, all, inspire my creative juices.
As a curator/producer of dance events, creativity for programming comes from the magnificent dance companies in Los Angeles. There is so much great artistry in our LA community, and it forces me to put on a magic hat to assemble programs that celebrate diversity in all aspects of life and dance genres.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am a third generation Californian and was the Artistic Director and founder of the Pasadena based contemporary dance company FAST FEET for twenty-three years. Before retiring my dance company I self-produced work in festivals and venues throughout California during the company’s tenure. Critically acclaimed for the emotional intensity and eloquence of my dancing and choreography, “A memorable performance for its depth of feeling” “remarkable gestural detail” “galvanizing” from The Los Angeles Times, and “She’s not quite Google, but producer Jamie Nichols certainly is a one-woman search engine for anyone who wants to know about the L.A. dance scene…”Ann Haskins – LA Weekly, kind of describes me .
My commercial career has crossed over dance choreographing art films and music videos and appearing as a dancer in several films. A fun fact, I also performed with my dance company in four Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parades on floats, choreographed winning the Governor’s Trophy for the first float ever created with 12 ballroom dancers on a giant player piano. Clients for dancing floats included: First Interstate Bank, The Ritz Carlton Hotel, Rotary International and Delta Airlines.
I am the recipient of 6 Lester Horton Dance Awards for Outstanding Achievement, The Lester Horton Furthering the Visibility of Dance Award and the Dance Resource Center of Los Angeles Meritorious Award for Outstanding & Extensive Years of Service. As Executive Producer of Celebrate Dance from 2006-2015 presented 70 dance companies at the historic Alex Theatre in Glendale, California to critical acclaim. I have served on multiple boards, committees, panels for grants awardees’ and mentored dance companies and also an adjudicator for competitions, publicist for dance companies and produced a variety of dance events in Los Angeles.
I have been an adjudicator for the Music Center of Los Angles Spotlight Awards, The Emerging Young Artist Awards (The Herb Alpert Foundation & Dom & Carol Deluise Scholarship Awards), The Los Angeles Dance Invitational Executive Production Committee 2000-2009 (co-producer), The Board of Directors of the Jazz Dance LA Foundation (fundraiser/publicist), acted as production coordinator/publicist for The Celebration of Dance Festival at The Alex Theatre (2002-03-04), on the Board of Directors of The Dance Resource Center of Greater Los Angeles where I served as Membership Chair for three years and been a panelist for the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department Cultural/Regional Grants. I was the executive producer of The Dance Resource Center Of Los Angeles 16th Annual Lester Horton Dance Awards at the Alex Theatre and producer of Los Angeles modern dance icon Marion Scott’s SPIRIT DANCES 10 at Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica.
As Executive Producer of CELEBRATE DANCE from 2006-2015 I presented over 70 dance companies at the historic Alex Theatre to critical acclaim. CELEBRATE DANCE was dance festival presenting professional dance companies representing diversity through dance, offering an accessible family friendly evening of dance to an audience of any age. I was the marketing director, fundraiser, press contact and sole producer of the event and also created an Educational Program, “Bringing Professional Dance Into The Classroom” giving underserved middle school children the opportunity to attend master classes and the show at the Alex Theatre for free.
I’ve taught dance in the Los Angeles area since 1980 and currently Head of the Movement Department at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Hollywood where I teach movement for actors and contemporary dance at various studios.
Since 2016, the I’ve been curator of the Brand Associates Dance Series at the Brand Library and Art Center In Glendale, CA. We are currently taking applications for our Spring 2024 Dance Series! Here’s the link: https://www.brandlibrary.org/dance-series-application.
I’ve had the rare opportunity to teach my contemporary dance classes in a beautiful space called LALA for the last 13 years. The owners have sold the building and the studio is closing in August 2023. It is devastating! The studio has been a creative space for many dancers in LA. So, now it’s time for a new space and adjust to new surroundings. Leaving a scared dance space is challenging emotionally. One must try to find the positive side, adjust emotions, find the light in front and follow it. I am doing my best to stay positive. My new home will be ARC (a room to create) in Pasadena https://www.arcpasadena.org I’m deeply grateful to the brilliant John Pennington for the opportunity to work in a new dance home.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most
#1 integrity #2 generosity #3 belief in yourself and trusting your instincts. Live your best life with these important qualities AND NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS NO MATTER WHAT
How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?
I would like to spend the last decade of my life doing what I have been doing my entire adult life! Loving life, enjoying beautiful friends and family, traveling, seeing great art, teaching dance, making dances and living the best life with my partner Steven. If tomorrow was the last day of my life I would have no regrets about anything. Life is good! “I am humble – I am grateful – I am thankful for the instrument” Jamie Nichols’ movement mantra.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.celebratedance.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/celebratedancela/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/twofastfeet
- Other: https://vimeo.com/celebratedance
- Brand Dance Series : https://www.brandlibrary.org/dance-series
Image Credits
Gail Howland Stephen Jerrome
