Photo courtesy to Ballet North Texas
For years ballet has evolved to provide an inclusive experience for both dancers, and their audience. Whether it be by including more female Artistic Directors, disabled dancers, and sensor-friendly shows, Nicolina Lawson, Executive and Artistic Director for Ballet North Texas is inspired to do it all.
Lawson’s ballet journey dates back to a very young age. Her mom was an artistic director and owner of a dance company in Redding California. Lawson grew up in the studio from day one and for many years trained under her mother.
Eventually she danced her way into Europe and lived in Italy for roughly four years where she met her now husband. Lawson’s husband was in the military, which led them to relocate at a station in Alaska and then Wichita Falls.
Before her move to Dallas, she commuted in total three hours for freelance work from Wichita Falls to DFW. It was her dedication and passion for dance that kept her in Dallas.
Lawson said the area had everything that she loved, people, culture, and opportunity. The only thing it lacked was a Dallas-owned company. After many years of various gigs, schools, and trainings, Ballet North Texas company was established in 2017. Her vision for Ballet North Texas was to make the art form more accessible to audiences and dancers.
About seven years later, the company expanded to its own space in East Dallas, and eventually Ballet North Texas Conservatory was born. To this day Lawson is dedicated to upholding an inclusive dance organization aimed at promoting equality and inclusion environment for everyone to experience.
She never envisioned herself opening a dance company, let alone a conservatory. After the company opened, and the conservatory was established auditions for their first Nutcracker performance began. Young dancers from everywhere seeking professional careers came to open auditions.
Photo courtesy to Ballet North Texas
“At Ballet North Texas we actively work toward building an intentionally diverse and inclusive organization and community,” Lawson said in a press release. “We strive to create an environment that fosters peace and encourages the understanding of common human needs and community activities. By promoting sensitivity to and appreciation of differences among people, we help our employees, students and company members to learn important values and become thoughtful, responsible citizens of the world.”
In addition to her creating sensor-friendly performances for audiences, she has created a space for disabled dancers to perform. Whether they’re in a wheelchair, have one arm, or have specialized needs, there is no limit to what these dancers can do, therefore deserve to perform, she said.
Ballet has changed drastically over the years, but if you asked Lawson 10 years ago if she believed she’d be the one to push the envelope in Dallas, she’d say no.
The studio unassumingly sits on the corner of Northwest Highway and Plano Road, next to a Jazzercize fitness center, sharing a parking lot with a Kroger Store. However, once inside you will find a 7,800 sq/ft space boasting two large studios, one small studio, a music room, and photography studio all equipped with custom built sprung floors and state of the art sound systems and equipment.
