NIGEL CAMPBELL

Founder, Artistic Director & CEO of Programming & Artist Development

Progressive Arts Leader Nigel Campbell is a Princess Grace Award Winning Artistic Director, Entrepreneur, and Educator. Born and raised in The Bronx, New York, he began his training at Creative Outlet Dance Theater and is a graduate of The Juilliard School, under the direction of Lawrence Rhodes. Nigel received additional training from The School at Jacob’s Pillow, The Miami City Ballet School, The Alvin Ailey School, and Springboard Danse Montreal. While studying at Juilliard, Campbell joined the Metropolitan Opera Ballet as a soloist. Upon graduation, he 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 as well as a guest artist with Kyle Abraham’s A.I.M and Sidra Bell Dance New York. After two years as a Dancer and Artistic Associate with Gibney Company, he was named Company Director in 2017. From 2017-2021, Nigel played an instrumental role, alongside Gina Gibney and Amy Miller, in the exponential growth and transformation for the company. From 2022 to 2024, he served as the inaugural Artistic Director of Gibney Center, overseeing Presenting and Residencies. Nigel’s programming revolutionized Gibney Presenting, including the creation of the Artist-in-Residence Program, sold out performances, and multiple Bessie nominations. 

In 2015, Nigel Co-Founded MOVE|NYC| alongside his partner, Chanel DaSilva, with the mission of cultivating greater diversity and equity in the dance field and beyond. In 2020, Nigel & Chanel were Dance Teacher Magazine’s cover feature for its May/June issue, Changing the Face of Dance. The Magazine’s main article, “When you’re the Only Black Dancer in the Room,” outlined the success and impact of MOVE|NYC|’s early years. In 2021, the two were recognized on Good Morning America’s inaugural  “GMA Inspiration List: Who’s Making Black History Right Now?” 

In 2024, Nigel joined the Artistic Advisory Board of the Princess Grace Foundation, serving as the 2024 Dance Panel Chair. The PGF’s Arts Advisory Council is a voluntary board whose role is to oversee the Princess Grace Awards programs. Members are experts, practitioners and leaders in their artistic fields who participate as panelists for the Advancement grants to Award winners, recommend Adjudicators and Panelists for the Princess Grace Awards and are ambassadors of the Princess Grace Foundation in the artistic community. In 2021, Nigel joined the Board of Directors at Culture For One, a non-profit with the mission to transform the lives of New York City children in foster care through the power of the arts. In 2019, Nigel joined the faculty of The Juilliard School as an adjunct professor, teaching Essentials of Entrepreneurship in the Arts. He has also served on the faculty of 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. Outside of the studio, Nigel regularly serves the field as a panelist/juror for awards and grants for national competitions and foundations.

Nigel’s multi-faceted contributions to the field of dance have been recognized with numerous awards and honors including a 2019 Martha Hill Mid-Career Award, a 2011 Princess Grace Award, a National YoungArts Award and a NAACP ACT-SO Gold Medal. Nigel is a 2004 Presidential Scholar in the Arts and at 17, was featured on the National PBS documentary American Talent. He resides in New York City.