Princess Grace Award Winner, Director, and Entrepreneur Nigel Campbell was born and raised in The Bronx, New York and began his training at Creative Outlet Dance Theater. Campbell is a graduate of LaGuardia Arts High School and received his B.F.A. from The Juilliard School, under the direction of Lawrence Rhodes. He has received additional training from The School at Jacob’s Pillow, The Miami City Ballet School, The Alvin Ailey School, and Springboard Danse Montreal. While still at Juilliard, Campbell joined the Metropolitan Opera Ballet as a soloist. Since graduating, he has danced full-time for the Saarlandisches Staatstheater under the direction of Marguerite Donlon, Luna Negra Dance Theater under the direction of Gustavo Ramirez Sansano, the GöteborgsOperans Danskompani under the direction of Adolphe Binder and has also been a guest artist with Kyle Abraham’s A.I.M. In 2017, Campbell was named a Director of Gibney Company after spending two years as a dancer and Artistic Associate.
In 2019, Nigel joined the faculty of The Juilliard School as an adjunct professor, teaching “Essentials of Entrepreneurship in the Arts.” The same year he also joined the faculty at S.U.N.Y. Purchase Conservatory of Dance as an adjunct professor teaching contemporary. A sought after master teacher, répétiteur, and lecturer, Campbell has set dances and given workshops throughout the United States and abroad at institutions such as The Juilliard School, USC Kaufman School of Dance, SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance, Boston Conservatory, NYU Tisch, Marymount Manhattan College, Princeton University, Yale University, Ballet Hispanico, The Ballet Akademien Göteborg, No)one. Art House, MUDA Africa, & Springboard Danse Montreal, among many others.
In addition, Campbell has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors including a 2019 Martha Hill Mid-Career Award, a 2011 Princess Grace Award, a National YoungArts Level 1 Award and a NAACP ACT-SO Gold Medal. Campbell is a 2004 Presidential Scholar in the Arts and at 17, was featured on the National PBS documentary American Talent. In 2015, Nigel co-founded MOVE|NYC| with his partner Chanel DaSilva with the mission of cultivating greater diversity and equity in the dance field and beyond. In 2020, Campbell and DaSilva were Dance Teacher Magazine’s cover feature for its May/June issue, Changing the Face of Dance. The magazines main article, When you’re the Only Black Dancer in the Room, outlined the growth and impact of MOVE|NYC|’s first five years. In 2021, Campbell and DaSilva were recognized on Good Morning America’s inaugural “GMA Inspiration List: Who’s Making Black History Right Now?” Campbell resides in New York City.
Nir Arieli