THE JOURNEY TO BECOMING A BLACK ARTIST

Princess Grace Award Winning Director and Entrepreneur Nigel Campbell was born and raised in The Bronx, New York. He began his training at Creative Outlet Dance Theater and received his B.F.A. from The Juilliard School, under the direction of Lawrence Rhodes. Campbell has received additional training from The School at Jacob’s Pillow, The Miami City Ballet School, The Alvin Ailey School, and Springboard Danse Montreal. While still at Juilliard, Campbell joined the Metropolitan Opera Ballet as a soloist. After graduating, he danced full-time for the Saarlandisches Staatstheater under the direction of Marguerite Donlon, Luna Negra Dance Theater under the direction of Gustavo Ramirez Sansano, the GöteborgsOperans Danskompani under the direction of Adolphe Binder and as a guest artist with Kyle Abraham’s A.I.M and Sidra Bell Dance New York. After two years as an Artistic Associate with Gibney Company, he was named Co-Director of the company in 2017, working alongside Gina Gibney and Amy Miller during a period of significant growth and transformation. In 2022, Campbell was named the inaugural Artistic Director of Gibney Center.

In 2015, Nigel co-founded MOVE|NYC| with his partner Chanel DaSilva with the mission of cultivating greater diversity and equity in the dance field and beyond. In 2019, he joined the faculty of The Juilliard School as an adjunct professor, teaching “Essentials of Entrepreneurship in the Arts ” Campbell has also served on the faculty of S U N Y Purchase Conservatory of Dance as an adjunct professor teaching contemporary A sought after master teacher, répétiteur, and lecturer, he has set dances and given workshops throughout the United States and abroad at institutions such as The Juilliard School, USC Kaufman School of Dance, SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance, Boston Conservatory, NYU Tisch, Marymount Manhattan College, Princeton University, Yale University, Ballet Hispanico, The Ballet Akademien Göteborg, No)one. Art House, MUDA Africa, & Springboard Danse Montreal, among many others.

Campbell’s multi-faceted contributions to the field of dance have been recognized with numerous awards and honors including a 2019 Martha Hill Mid-Career Award, a 2011 Princess Grace Award, a National YoungArts Level 1 Award and a NAACP ACT-SO Gold Medal Campbell is a 2004 Presidential Scholar in the Arts and at 17, was featured on the National PBS documentary American Talent In 2020, Campbell and DaSilva were Dance Teacher Magazine’s cover feature for its May/June issue, Changing the Face of Dance. The magazines main article, When you’re the Only Black Dancer in the Room, outlined the success and impact of MOVE|NYC|’s early years. In 2021, Campbell and DaSilva were recognized on Good Morning America’s inaugural “GMA Inspiration List: Who’s Making Black History Right Now?” Also in 2021, Campbell joined the Board of Directors at Culture For One, a non-profit with the mission to transform the lives of New York City children in foster care through the power of the arts. He resides in New York City.