Artists
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Board
THE ARTISTS
Founder/ Artistic Director
Michael Nickerson-Rossi
Executive Director
Chad Allen Ortiz
MICHAEL NICKERSON-ROSSI
Michael Nickerson-Rossi is a nationally recognized choreographer, educator, and artistic architect whose work shapes the landscape of contemporary dance through performance, education, and community engagement. As Founder and Artistic Director of Nickerson-Rossi Dance (NRD), his repertoire is distinguished by sculptural precision, emotional depth, and a cinematic approach to composition—qualities that continue to define the company’s acclaimed voice.
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Nickerson-Rossi’s choreography has been commissioned by professional companies, educational institutions, and arts organizations across the country. His leadership extends into cultural institutions as well, having served as Creative Director of Dance at both Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center and the Palm Springs Art Museum, where NRD now holds an official art partnership fostering collaborative programming between visual art and contemporary dance.
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A dedicated educator, Nickerson-Rossi has taught at more than 35 colleges and universities and continues to serve as an adjunct faculty member at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University. His educational impact reaches far beyond the classroom through the Academy of Nickerson-Rossi Dance, the official training school of the company, which cultivates pre-professional dancers through rigorous training, mentorship, and professional performance opportunities.
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Deeply rooted in the Coachella Valley since relocating his organization to California, Nickerson-Rossi has built a multifaceted ecosystem for dance. His initiatives include therapeutic outreach through uNdeRstanD, the Palm Springs International Dance Festival, numerous school district partnerships, and the creation of The Dance House, NRD’s custom-built venue designed by dancers for dancers.
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As Dance Magazine critic Janice Steinberg describes, “He’s the real thing”—a voice in contemporary dance committed to artistic excellence, accessibility, and the transformative power of movement.
Production Manager
Stuart Fabel
Dance Artists
Marissa Andresky
Heidi Buehler
Kaylee Kollins
Corey Levine
Hailee Mitchell
Chad Allen Ortiz
Sarah Warren
Academy Director
Hailee Mitchell
Higher Edu Director
Kim T. Davis
Dance Faculty
Corey Levine
Jaasiel Leyva
Timothy Long
Hailee Mitchell
Michael Nickerson-Rossi
Chad Allen Ortiz
Ellen Rosa-Taylor
Kiley Thomas
Chad Allen Ortiz | Executive Director
a principal dancer, educator, and arts leader whose work advances Nickerson-Rossi Dance’s mission across performance, education, and community engagement. Originally from Temecula, California, Ortiz began training under the mentorship of his brother, George Ortiz Jr., and later joined Nickerson-Rossi Dance as an apprentice. Today, he serves as the company’s Executive Director and a prominent artist of its repertoire.
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Ortiz oversees the organization’s multifaceted programming, directing the Academy of Nickerson-Rossi Dance—the official school of the company—and leading NRD’s expansive educational outreach efforts across multiple school districts, youth organizations, and higher education institutions. He also co-directs the Palm Springs International Dance Festival, curating initiatives that merge professional performance with community access and arts education. His teaching career extends across the country.
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Celebrated for over a decade as a signature performer of the company, Ortiz has danced internationally with Nickerson-Rossi Dance and has performed with Union Dance Project, PGK Dance Project, Brandywine Ballet, Compulsions Dance & Theater, and a national touring theatrical production of Romeo & Juliet. His experience expands beyond the stage into commercial representation with MINT Models in New York City, contributing to a versatile and enduring career.
Ortiz continues to bridge administrative innovation with artistic excellence, shaping how contemporary dance is experienced, taught, and supported in the Coachella Valley and beyond.
Hailee Mitchell | Academy Director
Hailee Mitchell grew up in Southern California and trained extensively in classical and contemporary ballet. Hailee joined Nickerson‑Rossi Dance via the company’s apprenticeship program, became a company dancer, and now serves as the Academy Director for the official school of NRD. She continues to perform with the company while leading its educational programs, embodying the company’s commitment to excellence, mentorship, and access to professional training for young dancers.
Stuart Fabel | Production Manager
Humbled to be a part of this amazing Dance company for the last 3 years and collaborate on lighting many of their new pieces.
Previous highlights include the European premiers at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (amongst their world debut in the US), of the modern dance piece, Night at the Movies, choreographed by Sean Greene, Ray Bradbury’s 2116 Directed by Steve Josephson. Carnival Knowledge: Love, Lust and other Human Oddities starring Naomi Grossman, while designing her world premier follow up American Whore Story: Respect the Hustle and most recently My Unauthorized Hallmark Movie Musical starring Eloise Coopersmith (which I continue to work with throughout the country).
Selected credits include Palm Canyon Theatre; Hair, West Side Story, A few Good Men, College of the Desert; Rocky Horror Show, Little Shop of Horrors. Gallimaufry Performing Arts; Cabaret, Bugsy Malone, Jungle Book, Damn Yankees and Thoroughly Modern Mille.
As Lighting Designer at Caltech in Pasadena, TedX, featuring Steven Hawking, amongst many student projects.
While for 6 years, was honored to be the lighting designer for the band, Terri Nunn and Berlin.
Since 2010 til present ,I have been working for Encore audio visual in La Quinta CA .
Kim T. Davis | Higher Edu Director
Kim T. Davis is the Professor and Director of the MJC Dance Program in Modesto, CA. Originally from Philadelphia, PA, she trained in NYC during her formative years in jazz, tap, and ballet with noted instructors such as Debbie Dee, Frank Hatchet, and Gus Giordano. After moving to California as a teen, she completed her high school education and pursued a BA in Dance at UC Santa Barbara. During her time at UCSB, she worked closely with Associate Professor Christopher Pilafian, a former member of Jennifer Mueller's "The Works" Dance Company from NYC. Davis received a scholarship that allowed her to study with Jennifer Mueller in NYC during the summer before her senior year. Mueller, who is known for her contemporary technique called "Mueller Polarity," significantly influenced Kim's education and approach to training young dancers. After earning her graduate degree in Dance from CSU Long Beach, Kim found inspiration in the rich language of bodies in contact while partnering, a concept deeply explored through her training at the Bates Dance Festival in Maine with Nancy Stark Smith, a pioneer and teacher of Contact Improvisation. Kim served as the Artistic Director of Kt Davis Dance, during which she successfully showcased her work in NYC and throughout the East Coast for 4 years. Her debut performance in NYC took place at the Merce Cunningham Studio theatre. Kim's choreography continues to emphasize a three-dimensional creation of interlinked bodies in space, which resonates powerfully with audiences.
Kim has transformed the MJC Dance Program over the past 10 years as the program has gained national recognition for outstanding choreography. In 2022, the MJC Dance Program was ranked 5th in the country by "Best Universities." Over the last 11 years, Kim’s choreography has achieved ACDA Gala status 9 times, and she has been selected for the ACDA National Festival twice to represent her choreography in Washington, D.C., and at Jacob’s Pillow on the Inside/out Stage in 2017 and 2023. Kim has also been an Artist in Residence at Johns Hopkins University at the Peabody Institute for Dance and Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. Kim has been a Guest Choreographer for NRD with the resetting of her choreography of "Within the Faultline" and "Tethered". Kim has also enjoyed her time working with the pre-pro students of the Palm Springs Dance Academy. Kim wears many hats within higher education in dance and is beyond excited to serve in a new position for NRD as their Director of Higher Education.
Board
Michael Nickerson-Rossi
President
Denise Bowman
Secretary
Kurtus Altergott
Treasurer
D'Re Stergios
Mitch Blumberg
Development
Michaeleen Gallagher
Governance Committee
Brandon Miller
Legal Operations -Fisher Phillips LLP
Advisory
Richard Jay-Alexander
The Gist Family
Terri Ketover
Debbie Green-Miller
