Nicole de Weever (born 1979) is a dancer and choreographer from
Sint Maarten
Sint Maarten () is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean. With a population of 41,486 as of January 2019 on an area of , it encompasses the southern 44% of the divided island of Saint Martin, while the north ...
. After completing her primary schooling in the Caribbean, she moved to the United States, completing education. She has performed in film, on television and appeared on Broadway in the musical ''
Fela!
''Fela!'' is a jukebox musical with a book by Bill T. Jones and Jim Lewis, based on music and lyrics by the late Nigerian singer Fela Kuti, with additional music by Aaron Johnson and Jordan McLean and additional lyrics by Jim Lewis. It is base ...
'' during its initial run in 2009 and reprise in 2012, after a world tour. She was honored as a cultural ambassador by the government of Sint Maarten in 2009.
Early life
Nicole Chantal de Weever was born in 1979 in Cay Hill,
Sint Maarten
Sint Maarten () is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean. With a population of 41,486 as of January 2019 on an area of , it encompasses the southern 44% of the divided island of Saint Martin, while the north ...
,
Netherlands Antilles
nl, In vrijheid verenigd"Unified by freedom"
, national_anthem =
, common_languages = Dutch English Papiamento
, demonym = Netherlands Antillean
, capital = Willemstad
, year_start = 1954
, year_end = 2010
, date_start = 15 December
, ...
, to Beatrice (née Vlaun) and Wilfred de Weever. Her father was a general manager of a business and her mother worked in the civil service. From a young age, de Weever wanted to pursue a career in dance. After graduating from her primary schooling at the St. Maarten Academy, and taking dance lessons at the Motiance Dance School under the tutelage of Arlene Halley and Cees van Doldren, de Weever moved to
Fairfax, Virginia
The City of Fairfax ( ), colloquially known as Fairfax City, Downtown Fairfax, Old Town Fairfax, Fairfax Courthouse, FFX, or simply Fairfax, is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth ...
and completed her secondary schooling at
Centreville High School. During her high schooling, she was selected to participate in a magnet program with twenty-five students at the Governor's School for the Arts on the campus of the
University of Richmond
The University of Richmond (UR or U of R) is a private liberal arts college in Richmond, Virginia. It is a primarily undergraduate, residential institution with approximately 4,350 undergraduate and graduate students in five schools: the School ...
and she trained with the Fairfax Ballet Company. Furthering her education at the
Tisch School of the Arts
The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic and media arts school of New York University.
Founded on August 17, 1965, Tisch is a training ground for artists, scholars of the a ...
in New York City, de Weever graduated in 2001.
Career
De Weever began her career teaching in programs offered through the
New York City Board of Education
The Panel for Educational Policy of the Department of Education of the City School District of the City of New York, abbreviated as the Panel for Educational Policy and also known as the New York City Board of Education, is the governing body of ...
, teaching at public and private schools. She was selected to demonstrate the techniques of
Katherine Dunham
Katherine Mary Dunham (June 22, 1909 – May 21, 2006) was an American dancer, choreographer, anthropologist, and social activist. Dunham had one of the most successful dance careers of the 20th century, and directed her own dance company for ma ...
for a project of the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...
, ''Preserving American Dance History'', and was a featured performer in the
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...
documentary ''Dancing with Life''. She has performed with a variety of dance companies, including Ballet Noir, Creative Outlet Dance Theatre and Forces of Nature Dance Theatre. She has toured throughout the United States and performed in Africa and Asia.
In 2008, she was selected as one of the ensemble who performed as the wives of Kuti in the
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
production of the musical ''
Fela!
''Fela!'' is a jukebox musical with a book by Bill T. Jones and Jim Lewis, based on music and lyrics by the late Nigerian singer Fela Kuti, with additional music by Aaron Johnson and Jordan McLean and additional lyrics by Jim Lewis. It is base ...
''. The musical was premiered off-Broadway and opened in 2009 on Broadway at the
Eugene O'Neill Theatre
The Eugene O'Neill Theatre, previously the Forrest Theatre and the Coronet Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 230 West 49th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and ...
, running fifteen months. That same year, the government of St Maarten honored her as a cultural ambassador for bringing recognition to the island. After the show completed its Broadway run, de Weever was part of the musical's worldwide tour for a year before appearing in the reopening on Broadway in 2012.
In addition to her work in dance, de Weever founded a non-profit organization, Art Saves Lives, on Sint Maarten in 2012. The NGO uses art therapy to assist troubled youth and helps them learn creative means of expression. It also organizes workshops for students to learn from noted Caribbean artists and provides cultural exchange programs where students can visit other islands in the Caribbean or in the United States to develop their skills.
See also
*
List of dancers
An annotated list of popular/famous dancers.
A
*Ayo & Teo, duo of dancers and musicians from Ann Arbor, Michigan.
*Fred Astaire ( – ), American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer, musician and actor. He was an innovator ...
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:de Weever, Nicole
1979 births
Living people
Caribbean people of African descent
Female dancers
Tisch School of the Arts alumni
Women choreographers