In conversation with Nicole
Biography of Nicole Pedraza
Nicole Pedraza is a contemporary dance artist of Nicaraguan and Mexican descent that is fueled by cross disciplinary collaborations in music, technology and visual art. She is an alum of Jacob's Pillow and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from University of Florida/New World School of the Arts (2021). As a Miami native, her choreography is often inspired by and presented in nature, bringing contemporary dance to new audiences. Nicole dances for Miami-based dance companies Syncopate Collective and Zest Collective. She was also a Pioneer Winter Collective Grass Stains artist, worked with recognized visual artists Leo Castaneda and Geovanna Gonzalez, and has performed with dance companies such as Mike Tyus & Co, Volta Collective, SAXYN Dance Works, and Peter London Global Dance Company.
Nicole was a Locust Project's Wavemaker grantee and has performed at their Digital Innovation Lounge & Lab series. She has been commissioned by Miami Light Project’s 2025 Here and Now, Miami Dance Hub 2024, The Peace Studio’s Artist As Catalyst, and Miami DanceMakers 2021 at the Perez Art Museum. In addition, she has been the Education and Outreach Coordinator at The Moss Center since 2022. Through open workshops and performance, she explores how movement, nature, and different artistic disciplines influence one another and bridges cultural and generational knowledge.
Transcription of Interview
Q: What does Étoilia mean to you? What comes to mind when you hear it?
A: It reminds me of a ballet term, Étoile, which is kind of like a ballet term. I think of a very classy, and kind of pristine image in my head when I think of that word. Something that's very upkept and cared for.
Q: What initially drew you to dance and how has your relationship with it evolved over time?
A: My initial relationship with dance was kind of like I was a very shy kid growing up and I liked the idea of being able to express myself through dance and movement so I was very interested in any type of dance and movement. Then I was exposed to it just seeing my family dancing all the time at parties and stuff so my mom put me in Ballet at a very young age so I was able to experience the dance setting very young so I developed a love for Ballet. So my initial introduction to dance in a dance setting in a classroom was Ballet so I think that definitely influenced my trajectory in positive and negative ways.
A: I think now I have discovered the joy of movement in general and realizing that I don't have to stick to a specific structure or quote on quote technique to be able to express myself. I don't need to seek approval from a person in the front of a room and that also doesn't signify success as an artist either which is something that I had to really think about and work through as I got older and I kind of veered off of the ballet mindset. So right now I’m a much more contemporary artist and I like taking influence from all of my life experiences so that does include the ballet technique, the modern technique that I did at New World. Contemporary techniques that I feel like I gained more watching and then when I was older as an adult was able to seek it out and also in my culture. My mom is from Nicaragua and I found out when I was older she was a folklore dancer there. I got a lot of inspiration from that culture and watching videos and live performances of it and being in Nicaragua myself and seeing performances there when I was younger. It is engrained in my thought process but also definitely a very contemporary form.
Q: Can you describe a time when your passion for dance felt more overwhelming rather than fulfilling?
A: I think when I was in college more at New World, it felt overwhelming because of like I think mental pressures from myself but also the pressures of the instructors and since I had gone to a school I went to four years previously and the teachers knew me from that young age, there was a pressure of I don’t want to seem like I am falling behind or like I used to be better or it felt like I was stuck in a box because they knew me as a ballet dancer and when I wanted to be more into contemporary I felt like they had already labeled me as this specific type of dancer so then I think there was a personal fight within myself and my mind of like I settled by staying in Miami because that’s a mindset that people have here, especially when we grew up at New World it was like if you don’t go away to college then you're not going to be doing anything.
It’s more about yourself and how you take in your training but just that and being in your mind at a young age, I think that had a heavy toll on my mental thought process so I was very hard on myself and I felt like I'm already in a bad position and I have to try two times harder than everyone else that are in other schools. So I definitely felt overwhelmed with myself mentally and then also being in the same environment that kept me kind of closed in with that mindset instead of expanding.
Q: So when did it start to feel fulfilling?
A: I feel like in my senior year of high school I was going to quit dance and then I got a really big burst of inspiration like this is going to help me so much and this is my true passion so that realization was a beautiful feeling and I felt really inspired at that time. And then when I was older, I think after covid; covid was a super horrible overwhelming time for dance but it brought a hold and a lot of opportunities. I wouldn't be in the same place that I am now if I had the opportunities I could’ve had if they weren't stopped during the pandemic. I think years after when I started thinking about how I can create my own successful path instead of trying to be in a company or trying to work for someone I felt more uplifted and rejuvenated and I can create my own path and as long as I follow where my heart belongs It'll all come to fruition.
Q: How does dance shape your sense of identity?
A: I think my sense of identity like I mentioned earlier, growing up I think movement helped me a lot to express myself so I think it helps me realize my emotions. Like if I'm feeling upset and then I go to a dance class and I kind of work through the emotions and then I realize I was upset because of this, this, and this; so I feel like it forms my identity because I can release my emotions. I feel like it helps me express myself in general at times when I don't have the words to bring it out. Then when I mentioned before, I feel like even though I don't know a lot of my family history sometimes I feel like there has always been art and movement engrained in it so I feel like when I'm dancing and in my movement I can tap into different generations that came before me or feel a connection with my culture even if its in a form of a dance, like they definitely did not do that.
Q: How do you maintain a sense of identity outside of being a dancer?
A: I think that’s a super important question that I think, from what I've seen that can make a lot of dancers hard to be around, [yeah because they are ONLY dancers] exactly. So I feel like I have a very multidisciplinary practice so I think that has always helped me. Even while in high school , If i was only around the dancers I would go crazy so I had a lot of friends that were in visual art, music, and I feel like that helps me a lot tapping into different art forms because its like those people have a like minded- mind but its completely different at the same time so they are creatives but a different type of thought process and that somewhat helps me remember we can all be creatives but were all people and need to communicate a certain way. It keeps me still in a position where I can enjoy art but also separate myself as a dancer. I like keeping my dancer self and myself completely separate; obviously they are correlated but I have my moments where I need a break from dance or my mindset in this rehearsal that I am my own person. I've had moments working with choreographers and everything is based on your emotional journey and trauma to showcase the performance or the art and I've had bad experiences and other experiences that have been more holistic. Even as a dancer, I’ve somewhat realized part of the reason why I like doing my own thing and creating my own path is because I've worked with a lot of choreographers who may be more known but see how they may treat their dancers. I don't want to be engaged with art that somewhat perpetuates a cycle to dismiss dancers because they don't fit a certain image.
Q: Can you share a moment when dance helped you reconnect with yourself during a difficult time?
A: [Preface] this is maybe the reason I felt so called to it my senior year of high school, my really close friend’s sibling passed away. Her older sister was my best friend and it was our senior year together. We were so close and we had just gone on a family vacation where I was with her family, her little sister so it was a super shocking and real hard moment. I had to deal with my grief but also take care of my friend and her loss. It's like having to take care of yourself but having the mental and emotional capacity to take care of someone else and make sure she is ok. I felt like in that process, I realized a lot of things; like the teachers don't really give a fuck about your personal lives but then dance helped me forget, like in a dance class or in a performance, I could just be myself as a dancer and kind of forget but while unconsciously working through my emotions and releasing emotions I didnt want to be seen because I wanted to be strong for my friend. I can release my emotions in the performance and it's clearly beautiful to see from an audience perspective or from a dancer but it was helping me. It was like a division of I have my personal grief but I’m also working through it so it felt like a healthy balance at that point. So I feel like dance helped me a lot at that point in life where I realized– dance is a passion and I want to pursue it because it helps me a lot and it can help me more in the future.
