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Teacher Bio
Nijawwon Matthews is an internationally acclaimed choreographer, master teacher, and performer who brings a fresh perspective to classic dance by mixing his unique stylization of contemporary, jazz, and classical techniques. In 2024 he was awarded a New York Dance Festival Choreographic Fellowship at the School of American Ballet and premiered his work “From Dystopia To Our Declaration” at the Joyce Theater, performed by Philidanco.
...Read moreNijawwon Matthews is an internationally acclaimed choreographer, master teacher, and performer who brings a fresh perspective to classic dance by mixing his unique stylization of contemporary, jazz, and classical techniques. In 2024 he was awarded a New York Dance Festival Choreographic Fellowship at the School of American Ballet and premiered his work “From Dystopia To Our Declaration” at the Joyce Theater, performed by Philidanco.
Considered a master teacher in several institutions around the globe, Nijawwon taught at Joffrey School of Ballet in NYC and presently teaches at Broadway Dance Center, one of the worlds premiere dance institutions for over a decade. He continues to instruct and create for professional companies, colleges, and studios in the British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, China, Curaçao, Finland, Germany, Italy, Peru, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, and Switzerland. Additionally he shares his experience as Adjunct Faculty at PACE University, while having delivered workshops, residencies, or master classes at many colleges including Yale University, Ohio State University, and Alabama State University. As a performer, he was a featured dance soloist in “Transformation: Personal Stories of Change, Acceptance, and Evolution” created by actress Glenn Close and musician Ted Nash for Live from Jazz at Lincoln Center.
As a choreographer in demand, Nijawwon has received many commissions including recently, new work he created for Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Marymount Manhattan College, PACE University, Philadanco-The Philadelphia Dance Company, The Alvin Ailey/Fordham University, CDT Arts in Jamaica, Kunming University of China, Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, Alabama State University, Joffrey Ballet/Cirque De Soleil, and more.
In 2015 Nijawwon Matthews founded the XY Dance Project, a dance company whose goal is: to maximize access to the arts and habit of success for emerging and established professionals, especially people of color and those of the LGBTQIA+ communities.
Nijawwon has appeared in films In The Heights, Black Nativity, and the PBS/Time Warner Special Black Bones. He also performed works by Cirque Du Soleil in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and for choreographers such as the late Donald McKayle, George Faison, Otis Sallid, Milton Myers, Kevin Iega Jeff, Gary Abbott, Christopher Huggins, and performed with Philadanco!, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, Cecilia Marta Dance Company. To his credit, Matthews choreographed theatrical performances for productions of Chicago, Footloose, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Oklahoma!
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Class Descriptions
Mr. Matthews strives to develop a ritual of intent which encourages exploration and the research of artistic and humanistic expression. This is called the Nijawwon Transitional Method— NTM is charged with an emotional, spiritual, and physical quality to convey confidence and seamless transitional movement to the artists. It encompasses the use of dynamics, textures, and spatial level changes with serpentine fluidity. It is the use of circulation, undulation, and spiral. This allows artists to use their entire body as they continually move through space and weight exchange. As we go across the floor; dancers get the chance to have a structured improv that allows for storytelling, musicality, and athletic movement that start from an intuitive and internal place that then transitions externally and expressively. Finally, Matthews ends with combinations that challenges the dancers to become more informed performers and free themselves from self doubt. Mr. Matthews gives students love, encouragement, and the confidence to trust themselves in the safe space he provides for each artist.