2024 Joan Edwards Distinguished Professor Nick Van Young will present a session titled "Body Percussion Workshop"

Nicholas Van Young is a choreographer, dancer, musician and 2014 Bessie Award recipient. He began his professional career in Austin, TX at the age of 16 with Tapestry Dance Company under the direction of Acia Gray and Deirdre Strand. As principal dancer and resident choreographer he was awarded “Best Male Dancer” 2001, and “Best Choreography” 2003 by the Austin Critics Council. In 2003 he joined the NYC cast of STOMP and spent 2003-2013 with the production moving on to play the lead role and serve as rehearsal director for the American Tour. Most recently he acted as Associate Artistic Director of Dorrance Dance and has been a choreographer and collaborator with Artistic Director Michelle Dorrance for nearly a decade. His choreographic and conceptual collaborations with DD have premiered at the Guggenheim, The Joyce, Jacob’s Pillow, and internationally in London (Sadlers Wells), Spain (Fira Tarrega) and Hong Kong. As a musician he has performed and toured with Cyro Baptista’s Brazilian Percussion Ensemble “Beat the Donkey”, as drummer for Darwin Deez and Dorrance Dance and has created two electronic music scores for the documentaries “Tap or Die” and “Aces and Knaves” produced by Jackie Pare. Nicholas Young is the Director and Founder of SoundMovement Dance Co. and Institute for the Rhythmic Arts, a multi-disciplinary training program for percussive dance and drums. He is honored to currently be the Artistic Director of North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble, where he serves to further educate young dancers in Tap Dance, its history and legacy.