Yvonne Nichols

As a young child with energy to spare, Yvonne’s mother decided to channel some of that energy into dance. This love of movement has since been present through her whole life; studying ballet, tap, jazz, and then concentrating mostly on Competitive Highland Dancing.

 

When she retired from competing, she joined two professional Scottish dance companies, The Tunnochbrae Ceilidh Dancers, which performed alongside the renowned 48th Highlanders of Canada Pipes and Drums and the Scottish Dance Company of Canada.

She continued to diversify her training and subsequently graduated from the The Professional Training Program of The School of the Toronto Dance Theatre, the summer program of The Alvin Ailey American Dance Centre in New York City, and in 2015 received her BFA Hons in Dance from YORK University.

 

Professionally, she has enjoyed performing across North America as a Highland dancer in International Tattoos and stage productions, as a modern dancer in various performances, travelling across Canada as mascot performer, and as an aerialist with Gravityworks on hoop, silks and trapeze for festivals and corporate events.

 

One of Yvonne’s passions is her work with Famous PEOPLE Players, a black light theatre troupe in Toronto, where she collaborates with developmentally disabled adults. Most recently, she directed and choreographed the production Bringing Life to Light in collaboration with the Ontario Science Centre for March Break 2014.

 

Yvonne has been teaching and choreographing for over 25 years in many capacities throughout Ontario; including various camps and schools, Parks and Recreation, Providence Healthcare, CHIRS, and continues to explore and create here at CCDC.