NIC LINCOLN
About

My productions connect communities through art.

This is my story.

My choreographic career includes stints across the country with a large portion of my career spent at James Sewell Ballet in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Throughout my career, I have received numerous honors for my challenging, nonlinear choreographies and performances.

I was previously named one of “25 to Watch” by Dance Magazine in 2013 and one of the “Artists We Love” by MN Monthly magazine and selected for numerous prestigious commissions from the McKnight Artist Fellowship for Dance, O’Shaughnessy Theater, and Momentum for the Southern Theater.

Journey

At a young age, I was fascinated by the technical side of dance and classical music growing up.

From there, I danced for the Dayton Ballet, and Cleveland San Jose Ballet and performed as a guest artist for Corbin Dances, National Choreographer’s Initiative, and Shapiro & Smith.

I was later introduced to underground art in New York, Boston, and Chicago clubs during my late teens and early 20s. These underground and drag/transgender communities informed and influenced my dancing style and philosophy. This integrated me into the drag and transgender communities that only felt safe in these underground environments.

That personal connection with those communities has flowed into my perspective on art and is passionately intermingled with my activism.

Influences

I feed off of various inspirations to create and innovate. These influences transcend the dance industry and come from my unique set of passions:

Pop Art - The works of pop art visionaries Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol seep into my work through themes of parody and tongue-in-cheek humor.

Surrealist Art - I rely on surrealist art to inform my work by delving into dreamlike states and encountering connections throughout the ride that is crafted.

Architecture and Atmosphere - I rehearse in different environments to inspire my work: indoors, outdoors, studios, parks, backyards, and museums.

My production expertise allows me to weave each of these influences as well as my personal experiences into my art in a way that feels oddly natural. My work is a culmination of these topics and inspirations while being unmistakably mine.

Activism - through the production process, I choose to highlight organizations to stimulate conversations within communities with the intention of building bridges.

My activism has become a prominent feature throughout my work. Working with a variety of critical causes, my work aids these causes in both fundraising and theming respects.

I reserve the right to weave themes inspired by the organizations into my work by framing the entire experience around it or including specific elements. This includes gifted representatives of the benefiting organizations a chance to speak from the stage about what their organization accomplishes.

I can choose to gift a percentage of the proceeds to these various organizations or allow them to accept donations from the audience. Regardless, my activism gives these non-profits the opportunity to intermingle with pools outside of their typical demographics.

Learn More
Follow the links below to find out more about the movements I support.
Minnesota AIDS ProjectOutFront MinnesotaRed Door ClinicHuman Rights Campaign

Purpose

I strive to provide a space where nonlinear artistry can be absorbed and celebrated. Much like an abstract painting might elicit a variety of reactions or perceptions, I desire for my work to be perceived in as many varieties as the audience members imagine.

Influenced by yoga, my choreography blends technical aspects of yoga such as breathwork, chakras, and sutras along with more metaphysical components such as compassion and acceptance. I believe that who we are as people is who we are as artists.

When I find my inspiration, I dig deeper into the cause to gather material that ultimately influences my performances. At times, some interpretations are more nuanced than others. Rather than strictly educating, I strive to cultivate eye-opening experiences.

I use the stage as a powerful platform to bring a variety of communities together through learning and growth. Honoring the chapters of my life, I offer audiences the organic, truthful pieces of my life through my choreographies.

founder

Nic Lincoln

founder and creative director
founder and creative director
founder and creative director
founder and creative director
founder and creative director
founder and creative director
founder and creative director
founder and creative director

My work drives positive change in our communities.

Let's work to make change together.
Let's Talk

"Escalade has infused my cells for over two years - through the depths of a pandemic, and local and global upheaval, as well as amidst an incredible personal and artistic evolution. It is both a cause and an effect of the work."

Gemma Isaacson

Dance Artist

"I have seen his work blossom over the last 20 years ... He shows a professional attitude, and a sincere willingness to try new strategies for composing dance. He demonstrates a passionate commitment to the cultural vitality of the Twin Cities through the idiom of dance, across many forms of expression."

Judith Howard

Director of Dance,
Carleton College
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