Walter Nicks

Walter Nicks (July 26, 1925 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – April 3, 2007 in Brooklyn, NY) was a renowned African-American modern dancer, choreographer, and beloved teacher of jazz and modern dance. He was a certified master teacher of Katherine Dunham technique. He was professionally active for nearly 60 years.

Biography

Nicks was raised in Cleveland, Ohio, where he graduated from Central High School. From 1942-1944 he attended Howard University. His early dance training took place at Cleveland's Karamu Settlement House, where his talents were recognized by Eleanor Frampton.

He studied dance at the Katherine Dunham School in New York beginning about 1945 under Miss Dunham, Lavinia Williams, Talley Beatty, Tommy Gomez, Archie Savage and Marie Bryant. He also studied with José Limón, Robert Joffrey, Karel Shook, Louis Horst, Doris Humphrey, and others.

Miss Dunham recognized his exceptional talent and in 1947 awarded him a fellowship for study for a Master Teaching Certificate in Dunham Technique, which he received in 1948.

In 1947, even before he received his certificate, he was appointed Assistant Director of Dance at the Dunham School--a position he held until 1953.

In 1948-49 he danced with Frances Taylor (later Mrs. Miles Davis) in the Benny Goodman Jazz Review on a 13-month tour.

He left the Dunham School in 1953. Forming a small company, "El Ballet Negro de Walter Nicks," in Mexico, he performed at the Insurgentes Theatre in Mexico City in a production starring Cantinflas; at the Sans Souci in Havana; on television in the Dominican Republic, and at the Condado Beach Hotel in San Juan. Also during this period, he spent five months in Haiti observing Vodoun dances.

Upon his return to New York, he became an instructor with the Phillips-Fort Studio (1954-55). In 1954, he also performed with Joe Nash and others in Donald McKayle’s “Games” at the 92nd Street Y.

Achievements

His credits include:

*Dancer in "My Darlin' Aida", 1952.
*Dancer and Assistant Choreographer for House of Flowers in Philadelphia and on Broadway (working under choreographers George Balanchine and Herbert Ross), 1954-55. As Assistant Choreographer, he coached a roster of dancers that was a veritable who’s who of African-American dance: Arthur Mitchell, Geoffrey Holder, Carmen De Lavallade, Dolores Harper, Louis Johnson, Donald McKayle, Albert Popwell and Glory Van Scott among others.
*Assistant Choreographer for "Jamaica" under Jack Cole, working with Alvin Ailey and Christyne Lawson, 1957-59.
*Assistant Choreographer for "Carmen Jones" under Oona White at City Center Theatre

In 1956-57, Nicks received a John Hay Whitney Fellowship to study cultural dances in Brazil.

From 1959-1963, Nicks worked as a choreorographer for Harry Belafonte, He choreographed three Belafonte specials on CBS-TV: “Tonight with Belafonte” (1959) which won Belafonte an Emmy, “New York 19” (1960), “Look Up and Live.” and several Belafonte stage productions that toured the country, including “Sing, Man, Sing” (1956), with dancers Alvin Ailey and Mary Hinkson, and “Belafonte ‘63”.

In the Summer of 1959, at the International Academy of Dance in Krefeld, Germany, Nicks introduced jazz dance instruction to Europe. His pioneering work had wide impact, and in 1960 he embarked on an extraordinary international career, unique for an African-American dancer, as a teacher, performer, choreographer, and arts administrator based in both Europe and America.

In Sweden, under the auspices of Lia Schubert, he became a consultant at the University of Stockholm (1960-67), a guest instructor at the Swedish Ballet Academy (1960), and performed there with his small company (1961-65). He appeared several times on Swedish television in the 1960’s; of particular importance was the series “Introduction to Jazz Ballet” with Ms. Schubert (1966). He was professor and Director of Jazz Dance at Stockholm’s Statens Dansskola from 1967-1971. He choreographed the Swedish production of "West Side Story" (1968), He danced in a concert of Duke Ellington’s sacred music with the Duke Ellington Orchestra at Gustav Vasa Church in Stockholm that was broadcast on Swedish Television in 1969.

As a consultant to the government of Guinea in 1963, he studied traditional dances and formulated recommendations which resulted in the formation of Le Ballet National Djoliba by President Sékou Touré.

In the Summer of 1972, at the request of the French Federation of Dance, Nicks founded the Walter Nicks Dance Theatre Workshop . Under the auspices of the Federation, the company toured France and Belgium, and later performed in the French Caribbean.

Nicks was in continuing demand as a teacher at international dance workshops and festivals, teaching in Germany, France, Israel, Spain, Italy, Finland, and East Berlin. For several years he taught at the Folkwang Academy in Essen-Werden, Germany.

Meanwhile, Nicks continued to be professionally active in the United States. The Walter Nicks Dance Theatre Workshop was affiliated with the Connecticut College American Dance Festival for several years beginning in 1973. It was community oriented, and concert performances were accompanied by workshops, lecture demonstrations and dance instruction.

The Nicks company participated in the National Endowment for the Arts’s “Artists-in-the-Schools” program for nine years (1973-1981).

Nicks was co-founder and Artistic Director of Centre Formation Professionelle in Poitiers, France (1982-1992).

He choreographed “Spirit Blues” for the National Ballet of Finland, which premiered on 19th October, 1989 at the Finnish National Opera.

The Walter Nicks Dance Theatre Workshop was based since its inception at the Church of the Intercession in Manhattan, where Nicks personally performed with his dancers in the Palm Sunday pageant through 2002.

Nicks was a faculty member/resident artist at Connecticut College (American Dance Festival), University of Maryland, Bard College, Duke University (1991), and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (1992-94).

Recent work

Most recently, Nicks:
* Choreographed “Trance Atlantic” for Philadanco (2000)
* Taught at Howard University
* Taught and performed at the Katherine Dunham celebration at Jacobs Pillow in 2002.
* Served on the faculty of the New York City Board of Education’s Dance Institute (Summer, 2002.)

Mr. Nicks was on the Executive Committee of the International Association of Blacks in Dance and on the Advisory Board of the Black Arts Network Diaspora. He is also a Recipient of The Balasaraswati/Joy Ann Dewey Beinecke Endowed Chair for Distinguished Teaching from the American Dance Festival.

External links

* [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/07/obituaries/07nicks.html?ref=obituaries Obituary]

* [http://www.la-manufacture.com Vendetta Mathea] (Walter Nicks Dance Company dancer)