Martha Nichols (born 1987)
is an American choreographer and dancer. She took first place in the
Capezio A.C.E. Awards in 2016 for her work ''Tilted''.
Early life
Nichols was born on , the daughter of Mary Jane Nichols. They lived in
Brooklyn, NY
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
, and moved to
Raleigh, NC when Martha was eight years old. Martha studied dance under Christy Curtis at the Pierrette Sadler Danceurs Studio in Raleigh, and later at Curtis's own CC & Company Dance Complex. Nichols mother, Mary Jane, died of a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
on June 1, 2005, shortly after Martha graduated from Millbrook High School.
She moved in with family friends after her mother's death.
At the age of eighteen, she was a guest teacher, performer and choreographer at the Burlington Academy of Dance & Arts in
Burlington, NC.
Career
Nichols appeared on Season 2 of
''So You Think You Can Dance'', which aired beginning in May 2006. She was one of approximately 2000 contestants who auditioned for the season, and was in the Top 20 who appeared on the program. A ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'' article about the show described her as a "
contemporary
Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from about 1945 to the present. In the social sciences, contemporary history is also continuous with, and related t ...
/
hip-hop
Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...
contestant." One of the show's judges, Nigel Lythgoe said "I don't think Martha's got a problem with her career. She's got great sophistication." She was the sixth female contestant and in gender the sixth overall contestant to be eliminated, and went on to tour with the other Top 10 contestants after the season finale.
Following her stint on ''So You Think You Can Dance'', Nichols spent two years dancing in
Cirque du Soleil's production ''
Criss Angel Believe.''
She also danced for a
Gap commercial
and
Rihanna's "Diamonds" tour,
and she danced and worked as an assistant choreographer on
Madonna's Rebel Heart Tour.
She danced in the 2016 musical film
La La Land
''La La Land'' is a 2016 American musical romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Damien Chazelle. It stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone as a struggling jazz pianist and an aspiring actress who meet and fall in love while pursuing ...
and appeared as the "Woman in Gold" in the 2017 film
The Greatest Showman
''The Greatest Showman'' is a 2017 American musical period drama film directed by Michael Gracey from a screenplay by Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon, based on an original story by Bicks. The film stars Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, ...
. She formed her own dance company, the Martha Nichols Dance Company in 2016.
Her short work ''Tilted'' won first place at the 2016 Capezio A.C.E. Awards, which earned her a $15,000 prize and a subsequent performance of her piece. Dance journalist Rachel Rizzuto described ''Tilted'' as "funky-fabulous."
Nichols went on to choreograph a full-length work, ''The Wider Sun'', which saw its debut at the Beverly O'Neill Theater in
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...
in August 2017. ''The Wider Sun'' was her first major choreographic work.
She teaches at the
Broadway Dance Center in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
.
Works
* ''Tilted''
video
* ''The Wider Sun'', 2017
See also
*
Martha Nichols on ''So You Think You Can Dance''
References
External links
Martha Nichols' YouTube channel- featuring her choreography
Solo performance by Martha Nichols at 2018 Dance Awards Orlando(video)
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nichols, Martha
1987 births
Millbrook High School (North Carolina) alumni
21st-century American dancers
American women choreographers
American choreographers
American female dancers
Hip-hop dancers
Contemporary dancers
Dancers from North Carolina
So You Think You Can Dance contestants
Living people
21st-century American women