Celebrate Dance

Executive Producer / Founder Jamie Nichols

Since its bold beginning in 2006 Executive Producer Jamie Nichols has engaged diverse and electrifying dance talent. Each year Celebrate Dance’s annual dance production grows in applause and accolades from both dancers and audience alike. Celebrate Dance has presented over 70 dance companies to over 12,000 enthusiastic audience members in the annual event and has served as a platform for artists to enhance their craft, develop a foundation of support and propel their careers locally, nationally and abroad. Each participating dance company can also boast being part of critically acclaimed, seamlessly produced productions at the historic 1,400 seat Alex Theatre in Glendale, California.

Celebrate Dance was created to provide an opportunity for recognized and emerging dance companies and choreographers from the greater Los Angeles area to present their work, while at the same time fostering a sense of community and achievement consistent with the production of high quality concert dance in a respected theatrical venue. Celebrate Dance has also presented companies from: San Francisco, San Diego, New York and Brooklyn.

From its inception, Celebrate Dance has reached out to community youth, inviting them to the yearly event without expense.  Thus far more than 2,000 students from local schools and studios have seen the production.  In 2010 with initial support from the Flourish Foundation, Celebrate Dance was able to expand its community engagement efforts with the launch of the “Master Class Series”, bringing a professional dance workshop into the classroom for dance students at Hubert Howe-Bancroft Middle School in Hollywood. The “Master Class Series” proved a rewarding experience for both student and instructor. For the 5th year, the Celebrate Dance 2014 Master Class Series at Bancroft Middle School was supported by a generous gift from the Flourish Foundation.

Jamie Nichols was the Artistic Director and founder of the Pasadena based contemporary dance company Fast Feet for 23 years. Until retiring her dance company in 2003 she self-produced her work in festivals and venues throughout California. Ms. Nichols has been critically acclaimed for the emotional intensity and eloquence of her dancing and choreography. “A memorable performance for its depth of feeling” “remarkable gestural detail”  “galvanizing” from The Los Angeles Times, describes Jamie Nichols.

She is the recipient of six Lester Horton Dance Awards for Outstanding Achievement in the categories of: Performance Individual, Re-staging/Revival, Excellence in Teaching, Production of A Festival /Series (Celebrate Dance 2006-2007-2008) and Celebrate Dance 2009 and 2010 were nominated for Lester Horton Dance Awards.

Ms. Nichols was honored with the esteemed Dance Resource Center Of Los Angeles Meritorious Award for Outstanding and Extensive Years of Service and Leadership in 2006 and was honored with the prestigious Furthering The Visibility of Dance Award at the 19th Annual Lester Horton Dance Awards.

Ms. Nichols is the marketing director, fundraiser, press contact and sole producer of Celebrate Dance. She has also produced modern dance icon Marion Scott’s Spirit Dances 10 at Highways Performance Space, the fabulously successful

16th Annual Lester Horton Dance Awards 2007 at the Alex Theatre and was Co-Producer with Theater Bethune of Ray Bradbury’s Frost and Fire at the Alex Theatre.

As a well respected member of the professional dance community Ms. Nichols has been: an adjudicator for the Music Center’s Spotlight Awards, a judge for the professional and semi- professional division at the “Palm Desert International Choreography Festival”, a judge for the McCallum Theatre’s “Open Call” talent competition, for nine years on the selection committee for The Los Angeles Dance Invitational and the Executive Production committee for LADI, on the Board of Directors of the Jazz Dance L.A. Foundation and the Board of Directors of The Dance Resource Center of Greater Los Angeles where she served as Membership Chair. She has also been a panelist for the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department Cultural / Regional Grants.

Ms. Nichols is currently teaching her own powerful and passionate method of Contemporary Dance at Live Arts Los Angeles and Theater Movement / Dance for Actors at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Hollywood, California.

Celebrate Dance 2014 Reel:

Celebrate Dance Companies (2006-2014)

ATE9DANCE COMPANY
BACKHAUSDANCE
BAKER & TARPAGA DANCE PROJECT
BARE DANCE COMPANY
BODY CURRENT DANCE
BODYTRAFFIC
BPM BEATSPERMINUTE
CALIFORNIA CONTEMPORARY BALLET
CATCH ME BIRD
COLABO YOUTH DANCE COLLECTIVE
COMMONALITY DANCE COMPANY
CONTRA-TIEMPO
CREATIVE OUTLET DANCE THEATRE OF BROOKLYN
DEBORAH ROSEN AND DANCERS
DJANBAZIAN DANCE COMPANY
FUSION DANCE THEATER
HYSTERICA DANCE COMPANY
INVERTIGO DANCE THEATRE
JAZZANTIQUA DANCE & MUSIC ENSEMBLE
JOSIE WALSH’S MYOKYO
KEITH JOHNSON/DANCERS
LADIEGO DANCE THEATER
LA CONTEMPORARY DANCE COMPANY
LEDGES AND BONES DANCE PROJECT
LEVY DANCE
LISS FAIN DANCE
LOLLIEWORKS
LUX AETERNA DANCE COMPANY
LYDIA ZIMMER  + DANCERS
MARROW DANCE
MALASHOCK DANCE
METHOD CONTEMPORARY DANCE
MIZERANY DANCE
MONAT DANCE
MOTION TRIBE
NICKERSON – ROSSI DANCE
PENNINGTON DANCE GROUP
PTERO DANCE THEATRE
REGINA KLENJOSKI DANCE COMPANY
RHETORACLE DANCE COMPANY
SAN PEDRO CITY BALLET
SOLEVITA DANCE COMPANY
TERRI BEST DANCE
TRIP DANCE THEATRE
VIKTOR KABANIAEV & DANCERS
VISIONS DANCE THEATRE
VIVER BRASIL DANCE COMPANY

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