Jennifer Nichols
Jennifer Nichols is a Canadian dancer, choreographer and director with over 20 years of professional stage and film experience. She is founder of the renowned ballet fitness program, the Extension Method™, owner of the Extension Room and Co-Artistic Director of the dance entertainment firm Hit & Run Dance Productions.
For stage, Jennifer holds extensive choreography, performance, and direction credits in opera, operetta, art song, and more. Highlights include the Dora-award winning choreographed production of Handel’s Messiah with Against the Grain Theatre; Dora-award nominated production of Glaser’s Pandora with FAWN Chamber Creative, and Opera5’s immersive production of Strauss’ Die Fledermaus. She has presented her choreography of Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins, directed by Joel Ivany, with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Oregon Summer Music Festival, and a workshop at the Banff Centre for the Creative Arts, also appearing as the principal dancer.
She has choreographed, designed, and directed for Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra (Haus Musik), the Royal Conservatory of Music/Glenn Gould School (Offenbach’s La Belle Helene), and Toronto Summer Music Festival (L’Histoire du Soldat). She was assistant director at the Canadian Opera Company for their 2023 production of La bohème. Other works she has interpreted includes La Traviata, West Side Story, and Salome, as well as curating interdisciplinary performances for the Art Gallery of Ontario, LightHouse Immersive, and In.Set.
Through her work, she has helmed several world premieres, including Harman’s Sewing the Earthworm (Canadian Art Song Project), Rickett’s Lilt (Esprit Orchestra), and Palmer’s Sweat with the Bicycle Opera Project, whose feature-length film of the work, directed by Jennifer, premiered earlier this year.
For television and film, Jennifer holds Head Choreographer and Dance/Script consultant credits for the new Netflix series Tiny Pretty Things, and was choreographer for Reign (CW), Titans (DC Universe), Matlock-Pilot (CBS), Glamorous (CW, Pilot), Frankie Drake (CBC), Salvation (CBS), Mary Kills People (Global TV), Falling Water (USA Network), Transylvania (CW, Pilot), Reacher (Amazon), Matlock (CBS) and the feature film Barney’s Version (Serendipity Point Films).
December 2023
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““I want to mention Jennifer Nichols, whose choreography goes beyond anything I’ve ever seen in an opera... Nichols creates a world populated by dancers and amateurs alike, graceful and empowered whether they’re in dancing shoes or not. I’m reminded of Pina Bausch whose wonderfully moral influence can be seen in Nichols ’willingness to work with bodies of every age, shape, and fitness level, a democratic world that’s genuinely representative of everyone and not just the elite few.” ”
