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NIJAD creates a welcoming, inclusive space where dancers can explore their artistry without limitations. We are a dual-purpose organization focused on creating versatile performance projects and specialized training programs for young professionals. We are committed to redefining the culture of both by collaborating with artists of diverse aesthetics and methodologies to create engaging performing and educational experiences that speak to the universal human experience.
At NIJAD, we recognize the importance of embracing new leadership styles, training techniques, and community engagement strategies that resonate with the next generation of artists and audiences. We strongly believe in the power of artistic versatility, how it can encourage the longevity of the art form, and the stories that it has the capacity to tell.
Destini Rogers, Jayson Douglas, and Nicole Corea founded this organization with the common vision of creating a company and training program that provides a collaborative space through multiple artistic perspectives. Through years of highly accomplished experience in performing, teaching, and choreography, our driving force behind this endeavor is our passion for being positive leaders in the artistic community and creating work that speaks to the universal human experience.
Our core values are grounded in the principles of accessibility, equity, versatility, community, and excellence. From the studio to the stage, we aim to forge paths to a more integrated future in the arts and encourage healthy, sustainable practices that align with these principles.
Nicole Corea
My catalyst for creating is an unwavering fascination with the language of movement. Whether I'm performing, choreographing, educating, or directing, I seek to push the boundaries of my knowledge and share that passion for serving others on their artistic path.
My story began in the tiny rural community of Palmyra, NY. It was there, in a public school auditorium, that I found the creative language that would lead me to my life's work. Dance taught me to dream big, and I did, with fierce determination and focus; at 16, I was accepted into the Juilliard School, graduating with a BFA in 2000. Since then, I have been fortunate to perform on global stages with some of the industry's most influential artists and organizations. I currently reside in both Australia and New York City traveling the world as a performer, choreographer, educator, and rehearsal director.
As a co-founder of NIJAD, I aim to bring that same determination and focus to our mission of providing opportunities to the next generation of artists. I commit to offering space for exploration through intuitive leadership and precise organization. My passion for creating opportunities that make dance accessible within itself and the global community is something I hold very close to, as my career has been inspired by those who did the same for me. My choreographic purpose is grounded in telling stories relevant to our communities and providing a space for those stories to be recognized and heard. To me, NIJAD is a new way of looking at how and why we want to proceed as caretakers of this art form and actively transferring that intention into action.
Career Highlights:
Company artist at Ballet Hispanico of NY, Elisa Monte Dance, Ballet Memphis, Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, Metropolitan Opera Ballet.
Choreographer: Ballet Memphis, Thang Dao Contemporary Dance Festival, Latin Choreographers Festival, Manhattan Movement Arts Center, Greenspace Brooklyn, Ubumuntu Arts Festival (Kigali, Rwanda), Ballet Hispanico ChoreoLab Series
Teaching Artist: Jikei Group Colleges (Japan), MindLeaps (Rwanda), Steps Repertory Ensemble (rehearsal director), Rehearsal assistant/repetiteur for Lar Lubovitch and Elisa Monte.
Jayson Douglas
I am a dancer, choreographer, educator, and assistant rehearsal director based in Minneapolis, MN, and New York City.
The spirit of dance had always flowed in my veins, being raised in a vibrant community in Paterson, NJ, that always encouraged my creative energy and love for performance. After spending my younger years exploring gymnastics and music, I took the leap to study at the local performing arts school and dance studio, and by the age of 17, I was accepted into Point Park University to pursue a B.A degree in Dance Performance.
My professional life began at the North Carolina Dance Theater, where I was introduced to the Balanchine aesthetic and greatly influenced by its approach to ballet technique and choreographic intricacies. Since then, I have performed with several ballet and contemporary companies in the U.S. and abroad, as well as cruise ships and freelance choreographic projects across North America and Europe.
As a co-founder of NIJAD, I aim to explore how to combine my extensive experience across varied dance languages and create work that pushes the boundaries of technique and style. I strive to use my choreographic voice to celebrate cultural and corporeal diversity and to use my voice as an educator to advocate for more sustainable and holistic experiences for young professionals. NIJAD is about creating a strong and vibrant community that represents and connects us to our most creative selves.
Career Highlights:
*Recipient of Minnesota Arts Board Individual Artist Grant 2021 and 2022.
Company artist at Company C Contemporary Ballet, James Sewell Ballet, Neville Dance Theatre, Ballet Memphis, Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre & Minnesota Dance Theatre.
Choreographer: Ashley Ballet Arts Academy, Minnesota Dance Theatre & School, Midstate Ballet, BlueGrass Youth Ballet, and Sarah Berges Dance.
Destini Rogers
Rooted in a deep appreciation for the rawness of human expression, I'm inspired by a movement that explores the complexities of the present environment through the lens of emotional instinct, musicality, and physicality.
When I close my eyes and reflect on my earliest dance memories, I vividly picture family parties filled with laughter, music, and dance. The Soul Train line was where it quickly became apparent that dance was more than just a physical act; it was a way to transcend reality and connect with humanity.
That's why I dedicated myself to studying dance, first at the Classen School of Advanced Studies and later at The University of Central Oklahoma. But when I became a top 8 finalist on the first season of So You Think You Can Dance, my dreams of becoming a commercial dancer started to take shape. Since then, I've been incredibly fortunate to work with some of the biggest names in the music industry, discovering the true power and limitlessness that dance brings to our lives.
It is an honor to be a co-founder of NIJAD, a platform that explores innovative ways of researching movement and storytelling. I'm committed to working closely with each dancer we collaborate with to fully see their potential allowing their natural language to shape and inform our creative process.
We aim to bring these unique and diverse perspectives to a broader audience; to do that, I'll fuse a commercial element of how we present work. By leveraging our collective skills and resources, we'll be able to develop compelling stories that resonate with people from all walks of life.
Career Highlights:
Top 8 Finalists of So You Think You Can Dance
Principal Dancer for Reebok, Apple, Shoe Carnival, Rihanna, Beyonce', Alicia Keys, Kanye West, and Bi (Rain) World Tours.
Choreographer at The Race Dance Company, Topflight Conservatory, The McGovern Method
