Short Bio
Nicholas has been teaching dance professionally since 2009. He started as a ballroom instructor, transitioned to Argentine Tango (won the US Championships in 2014), then stumbled into swing in 2018 starting with Collegiate Shag and Lindy Hop. After the pandemic caused a detour into cyber security and construction, he’s back to dancing with an emphasis on Balboa. He currently teaches, performs, and competes in Shag, Tango, Lindy, and Balboa in places like Japan, Korea, Lithuania, Germany, and California.
He believes partner dancing is one of the best things a person can do for themselves and their community.
Eras
Sept 2023 to Now - Balboa Time
I decided it was finally time to learn Balboa. Started a couple weeks before Camp Hollywood 2023 practicing with Diane Eramo. Currently climbing the ranks! Still dancing, teaching, and performing Shag, Lindy, and Tango.
2018 to 2021 - Swing Until the Pandemic
My first intro to swing was a Shag was a class from Kate Elisabeth and Julie Roman in 2018 in Phoenix. Learned a bit from @Natalia Rueda, @Stephen Sayer, and @Chandrae (Chanzie) Roettig Gomez. Danced for and helped run the Phoenix Bomb Squad in 2019. Planned to do a lot of traveling for Shag in 2020… but ended up mostly staying indoors and practicing with @Julie Roman. I love coming up with new things, but more often than not, all the things I’m “inventing” Jeremy Otth has already done.
2010 to 2020 - Puro Tango
After studying in Argentina, in 2010 I began working independently as an Argentine Tango teacher. In 2014, my wife Stephanie and I won the USA Tango Championships and we decided to pursue dance full time. We taught privates and worked as instructors at UC Berkeley. In late 2015 we moved to Phoenix, Arizona for economic opportunity.
We opened a number of studios, taught many private lessons, mentored to multiple national and international champions, and worked at Arizona State University, Empower College Prep, Arizona Opera, and Mesa Community College. Stephanie danced and acted in the Arizona Opera’s production of Maria de Buenos Aires.
Combining all the tango training trips, I’ve lived in Buenos Aires for two years. This is why I have the Argentine accent while speaking in Spanish. My non Argentine Spanish speaking friends and family make fun of me for it.
After this video of us dancing for fun in April 2019, Steph’s health made it difficult to continue dancing together and we decided to transition into separate projects.
2004 to 2010 - Salsa, Folklorico, and Ballroom
In 2004 I started with a general partner dance class and continued by learning salsa from a local community class in Orinda put on by Tomaj Trenda. In college I joined cotillion and learned ballroom dancing from the legendary Kenji Ota and regularly went salsa dancing three nights a week. In 2009 I started working as an a new student specialist at Arthur Murray, Hayward. In 2010 I developed an interest in Argentine Tango and decided to save and travel to study there.