Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Joe Nickel. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Joe, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

I can acknowledge how fortunate I was growing up to have two parents who raised me. Being a male dancer from a young age, I am sure at times they wished I did something more “normal” for a boy. Not that they didn’t like it, but in a way to protect me. My father embraced it and took pride. He’d joke that he taught my everything I knew. He was undoubtedly my biggest fan. What my parents did for me was model how to support your child’s passion and show me in many different ways that they supported and believed in me.

I recall a podcast interview with Malala Yousafzai’s father. Malala is a human rights advocate for the education of women and children and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 when she was 17 years old. When ask what his secret of parenting was, her father said, “I got out of her way and let her fly.” I feel my parents did their best to let me fly and figure things out. I’m better because of it.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I can remember many instances in my life being the “helper”. Being a part of someone’s journey getting them from point A to point B has always filled my cup. From helping a kid at a summer basketball camp learn how to hit a free throw to connecting a passionate dancer to their next step in the dance industry, I have always found pride in helping. I believe all true educators have this.

It’s to no surprise that my drive to help others and my passion of the art of dance has led me to create a company that focuses on dance education. I launched Thrive Dance Experience (Thrive) in 2019. Thrive has a variety of programs to teach, inspire, and provide opportunities for dancers, dance educators, and dance parents. These programs include one-day dance conventions that are hosted in hotel ballrooms. We also provide in-studio workshops where we bring the Thrive experience to community dance studios. We’ve begun building relationships with opportunities for dancers to pursue a life with dance after high school. All classes are taught by Thrive’s dynamic faculty.

We’re helping connect the next generation of dancers, choreographers, business owners, and dance educators to university programs, conservatories, agencies, dance companies, and more organizations to help make their next step with dance an easier one. We pride ourselves on building community and helping the art of dance evolve responsibly.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

If you don’t want to get better at what you do for a living, then you need to find a new job and take time identifying your purpose in life. I’m grateful for doing what I do, but I’m not blind that I put in the work (and continue to do so). Teaching dance is the thing I know best, but because it’s what I love, I constantly want to get better at it. And why wouldn’t I?

I do a little bit of everything to learn. I read books, I listen to podcasts, I read and watch content online, TedX talks on YouTube, and more importantly I have meaningful conversations with people I admire. At the end of the day, everything I just mentioned starts with people; people write the books, people make the podcast, people create the content, therefore I really enjoy talking to other people who share the same passion.

Because of this, in 2021 I launched a podcast with Thrive faculty member, Michelle Tolson, called Joe and Michelle’s Dance Podcast. Having conversations about all things dance with our fabulous guests has been one of the best educations I could get.

My advice to others is to start with something and it will lead to the next way you gain information. I can’t tell you how many times I hear a guest on a podcast and immediately order their book. Knowledge is a constant cycle and nowadays we have so many ways we can get it. You just need to go get it!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

When I launched Thrive, I asked myself to fill in the blanks of this sentence: “I am going to use my passion of (blank) to achieve my purpose of (blank). My version became: I am going to use my passion of dance to achieve my purpose of positively impacting the dance community. When we roll out new programs, hire educators, or partner with other organizations, it’s important to us that this vision and goal is kept in mind.

Contact Info:

• Website: thrivedanceexperience.com
• Instagram: @thrivedanceexperience
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thrivedanceexperience/

Image Credits
Lovely Day Photography