Nicky Hart, Dancer & Choreographer
Nicky Hart began her dance training at age four with her mother Sally Hart, a former dancer with the Joffrey Ballet Company. Nicky received further training from the Virginia School of the Arts, Dance Theater of Lynchburg, the Joffrey Ballet Schools in New York City and Michigan, The Maryland Youth Ballet, and The Alvin Ailey Extension Program. Training techniques included classical, RAD, Vaganova, Cecchetti, Luigi, Gus Giordano, Fosse, Martha Graham, Paul Taylor, and Horton. Nicky also studied Regional Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art with Capoeira Brasil under the instruction of Tiba Vieira and Mestre Jelon as well as traditional Afro-Cuban and Afro-Haitian dance.
Some of Hart’s private Instructors were Kris Cangelosi, Elie Lazar, Keith Lee, and Larry Vickers. Other instructors include Zelma Bustillo, Linda Gage, Dorothy Lister, John Magnus, Julie Miles, Judy Rice, and Franco de Vita.
Nicky apprenticed for one season at the Charleston Ballet Theater and performed in classics as well as original ballet and contemporary works that include A Streetcar Named Desire, Cinderella, and the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Leading roles include Kitri from Don Quixote, Double Exposure choreographed by Keith Lee for Nicky & Veronica Hart, Stars and Stripes Forever, Honeysuckle Rose, Mirliton from the Nutcracker, and others.
In 2005, she moved to New York City to expand her dance career beyond ballet. During her exploration of Afro-Cuban and Afro-Haitian dance, she joined Mikerline Haitian Folklore Dance Company and performed in festivals and special events.
Beyond dancing, Nicky is an innovative choreographer. Works include solos from Act II of the Nutcracker, O Elogio e Danca (a blend of ballet, modern, and traditional Haitian folklore with Capoeira influences), Little Red Riding Hood - a full length ballet, Gospel in Motion. is a spiritual that blends modern and jazz choreography with music performed by Sam Cooke and Etta James, and her own version of Harald Langan’s Etudés.