about

Nikki Jennings is a Florida-born dancer, currently residing in Leiden, the Netherlands. With over 20 years of ballet and contemporary training, she began her dance journey in her Sarasota, Florida hometown at the Sarasota Ballet School and the Margaret Barbieri Conservatory. During this time, Nikki developed a love for classical ballet as well as contemporary and modern dance, attending several summer intensives including at the School of American Ballet in New York City (age 14), and the Netherlands Dance Theatre (age 17) in the Hague, Netherlands. She competed in The Youth American Grand Prix from ages 13-17, placing in the top 12 of her age category for several years.

Following her graduation from Sarasota High School in 2016, Nikki moved to the Netherlands to further her dance education with a Bachelor of Dance at the Dutch Royal Conservatory The Hague. Here she worked with choreographers, teachers and company dancers from esteemed institutions such as Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT) and Dutch National Ballet (HNB), performing notable works that shaped her artistic career and style. Notable contemporary repertoire includes Falling Angels by Jiří Kylián and I New Then by Johan Inger. Notable classical repertoire includes dancing as Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis in Giselle.

After transitioning out of professional dance and moving back to Florida at age 20 due to injury, Nikki discovered a passion for teaching. She led ballet and modern classes for one year at the Rosemary Ballet Onyx Studio 2 in Sarasota, Florida, and The Out-of-Door Academy Lower School Campus in Siesta Key. During this time she began exploring new directions in her career outside of dance.

At age 21, Nikki moved back to the Netherlands to further her academic studies at Webster University’s Leiden Campus, earning a Bachelors of Arts in Media Communications with an emphasis in Photography. During this time she developed her media portfolio ranging from digital and analog photography to media analysis writing and podcasting. Nikki then went on to earn her Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Webster Leiden Campus graduating Summa Cum Laude.

Today, she works as a Marketing and Recruitment Officer at Webster Leiden Campus, where she focuses on student outreach, managing digital and print marketing initiatives, and fostering relationships with prospective students - including frequent international travel across Europe, USA, West Asia and Northern Africa.

After a five-year hiatus from dancing to focus on her mental health and academic studies and to explore new perspectives in life and career, Nikki has recently started dancing again in ballet and modern, and has performed with the Leiden-based dance school Tribes Dance Theater. She continues to take classes, with more performances on the way.

Drawing on her extensive dance experience, Nikki remains deeply connected to the arts and hopes to continue dancing with new perspectives on prioritizing mental health and dance safety.

In her free time, Nikki enjoys attending performances from Nederlands Dans Theatre and Dutch National Ballet, practicing Ashtanga yoga, and sipping coffee or wine with friends on the canal terraces in Leiden. She also enjoys listening to music on her record player and loves thrifting second-hand vinyl to add to her record collection in her city-center apartment.