Ballet Hispánico
Nicole Ohr serves as the Tap Dance Ensemble Director at The School at Columbia University, teaching tap dance to students in grades 6-8 since August 2023. With extensive experience in dance education, Nicole has been a Tap Dance Educator at Ballet Hispánico and the Joffrey Ballet Summer Intensive since September 2021, where instruction encompasses technique, musicality, history, and choreography for students aged 8-18. Nicole also teaches professional open tap classes at Steps On Broadway, guest teaches at Broadway Dance Center, and instructs senior citizens at Dancewave. Previous roles include a K-8 Dance Educator and a position at TIEGERMAN SCHOOL. Nicole Ohr holds a PsyD in School and Community Psychology from Hofstra University, a Master's in Dance Education from Hunter College, and a Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Hofstra University.
Ballet Hispánico
Ballet Hispánico is the nation’s renowned Latinx/e/Hispanic dance organization and one of America’s Cultural Treasures. Ballet Hispánico brings communities together to celebrate and explore Latine/x cultures through innovative dance performances, transformative dance training, and enduring community engagement experiences. Founded in 1970 by National Medal of Arts recipient, Tina Ramírez, the organization emerged during the post-civil rights movement on New York’s Upper West Side, providing a safe haven for primarily Black and Brown Latinx youth seeking artistic sanctuary during New York City’s plight in the 1970s. The need for place, both culturally and artistically, led families to find Ballet Hispánico. The focus on dance as a means to develop working artists, combined with the training, authenticity of voice, and power of representation, fueled the organization’s roots and trajectory. With its strong emphasis on dance, achievement, and public presence, the organization has flourished in its three main programs: its Company, School of Dance, and Community Arts Partnerships. The organization serves as a platform for historically omitted and overlooked artists providing them with increased capacity, voice, and affirmation. Over the past five decades, by leading with Latinx culture at the forefront of performance, education, and advocacy, Ballet Hispánico’s mission is a catalyst of change and possibility for communities throughout our nation.