Growing up in central Pennsylvania, I received a most precious gift from my teacher. A love of moving. Not just following steps or wiggling to music, but true exploration. Fast and slow, sharp and smooth, high and low. I was presented with a vocabulary of endless possibilities. Because of this early experience, I find joy in exploring the capabilities of the human body, mind, and soul. I rejoice in each discovery I make, and in the discoveries of others.

In those early years I studied creative dance side-by-side with traditional concert dance forms. My desire to further my skills and knowledge led me to continue my education as a college student. Immersing myself in investigation, I explored techniques with an understanding of how the body functions. I obtained a sense of those who had come before, those who had explored and made discoveries just as I was doing. I absorbed all I could from my teachers, choreographers, and peers. I was encouraged and given the tools to become a dance artist and to guide others in their own discovery of dance.

It is with these tools that I continue to learn and grow in every experience. All that flows from me, draws upon all I have poured in. I continue to carve and shape myself as a performer, teacher, writer, wife, woman, mother. I seek to discover and understand the world around me and inside of me. I am a work in progress.

Nichelle Strzepek is a dancer, teacher, and choreographer living in Houston, Texas. She has been a student of dance for 25 years and holds a dance degree from Slippery Rock University. An experienced teacher, she strives to pass on the knowledge and legacy of the art of movement, as well as a passion for dance, to her students. Nichelle thrives in a collaborative environment and relishes the process of creating dances. A performer since childhood, she enjoys acting, singing, and musical theatre and brings her dramatic abilities to her work as a contemporary dance artist. Now that she is focusing more time on being a full-time mom, she continues to reach out to the dance community through her blog, Dance Advantage.

For more visit: http://nichelledances.wordpress.com