Today we’d like to introduce you to Jamie Nichols.
Hi Jamie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was the Artistic Director and founder of the Pasadena-based contemporary dance company Fast Feet for 23 years and self-produced my work in festivals and venues throughout California until retiring the company.
My life was very busy for ten years after retiring Fast Feet as Executive Producer of the successful critically acclaimed dance event, Celebrate Dance at the Alex Theatre. Celebrate Dance was an annual dance festival presenting professional dance companies representing diversity through dance in a world-class venue. Celebrate Dance offered an accessible family friendly evening of dance seen by thousands of audience members. I was the marketing director, fundraiser and sole producer of the event, with a consistently sold out the house, a feat few producers in large venues can claim. Celebrate Dance also had an education program I created and it was funded by the Flourish Foundation. We engaged hundreds of young students.
It was also an honor to produce: modern dance icon Marion Scott’s Spirit Dances 10 at Highways Performance Space, the 16th Annual Lester Horton Dance Awards at the Alex Theatre, co-produced the Los Angeles Dance Invitational Tribute To Stanley Holden, the tribute to Edward Villella and Theatre Bethune’s lavish musical theater stage production of Ray Bradbury’s Frost & Fire at the Alex Theatre.
I was a recipient of three Lester Horton Dance Awards for Teaching, Performance, and Revival/Re-staging and given the Dance Resource Center Of Los Angeles Meritorious Award for Outstanding Volunteer Community Service, The Furthering The visibility Of Dance Award and was the recipient of a Lester Horton Dance Award for Outstanding Achievement in Producing a Festival for Celebrate Dance 2006, 2007 and 2008.
As a social activist in my community of Pasadena, I created three site-specific performance pieces benefiting the Pasadena AIDS Service Center; I try to continue to support other dancers, choreographers and companies in Los Angeles and believe artists benefit profoundly from volunteering services to their communities.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The biggest obstacles are issues with self-doubt. It’s not easy as the artist to make your path in this competitive world.
We need to honor who we are, where we come from, believe in our roots and the powerful energy of our individual history.
Plant your feet on the ground and feel your power. Honor your physicality. Live a healthy life both physically and emotionally.
Give yourself time to love yourself and appreciate the power you carry by just BEING YOU!
My philosophy is: if you believe in yourself and live with integrity you will be successful. If you only do something to make money the integrity is diminished and you will eventually fail as an artist.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Still active in my dance community, I curate the annual The Brand Associates Dance Series at the Brand Library and proudly serve on the Advisory Board of Directors for The Palm Springs International Dance Festival.
As a dance teacher, movement coach and choreographer, I’m an Associate Faculty at The American Academy Of Dramatic Arts in Hollywood and teach contemporary dance at Live Arts Los Angeles.
What makes you happy?
HAPPINESS is seeing the success of all of my students as actors, dancers and artists. There is nothing better than seeing a movie, commercial, play or dance performance and watch my current and former students take flight. To watch students create their own paths GOLD. My personal happiness is living in Pasadena with my life partner Steven with our two dogs in our magical “cottage”. Humble – Grateful – Thankful
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.celebratedance.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CelebrateDance
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/twofastfeet
- Other: https://vimeo.com/celebratedance
Image Credits:
Photos by Jamie Nichols, Dorothy W., Erin Herzog, Stephen Jerrome
