Nicholas Garlo is a highly accomplished dancer and choreographer with a diverse, extensive background in dance. His journey began in southern Florida, where he received his technical training before furthering his studies at the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase College in New York. There, Nicholas earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance and a minor in Arts Management, graduating Cum Laude in May of 2017 while being honored as the only recipient to receive the prestigious Bert Terborgh award. Throughout his academic years, Nicholas participated in various summer intensives, including the Netherlands Dance Theater, Vancouver’s Arts Umbrella under Ballet BC, Joffrey, Juilliard, Jacob’s Pillow, Springboard Danse Montréal, Launch with NW Dance Project, Cunningham under the Trust, and more. He also expanded his horizons through a semester abroad at the Taipei National University of the Arts in Taiwan.
Post-graduation, Nicholas embarked on a successful professional career, starting with Ballet Quad Cities in Rock Island, Illinois. He further honed his craft in the professional program at Hubbard Street. Nicholas then went on to work with the Cocodaco Dance Project in Chicago and the Ballet Florida company. Notably, he toured to & performed at the Suzanne Dellal Center in Tel Aviv, Israel, while working for Roderick George with Noname Artist based in Berlin, Germany; and participated in the ‘Dance Festival München’ in Munich, Germany under choreographer Jasmine Ellis. Next, Nicholas went on to dedicate five seasons to the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company in Israel – touring internationally to places such as Germany, Italy, Spain, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Lithuania, Romania, Paris, and others. During his time with the Kibbutz, Nicholas also taught repertory, company auditions, master classes, and workshops within Israel and abroad. While there, he choreographed two of his own works on fellow main company and second company dancers, for two different festivals abroad. He also set repertory on the Masa (a five-month dance journey program under KCDC), as well as choreographed two of his own works on the Masa, and set a solo he created on a senior dancer in the professional program: Maslool in Tel Aviv.
After returning to America, Nicholas choreographed a senior solo for a graduating student at Loyola University Chicago. Since he relocated back to Florida in ‘24, Nicholas has worked with Tampa City Ballet, Atlas Modern Ballet, Brandon Ballet, and Azara Ballet. Teaching at multiple studios and summer intensives, he has also performed at the Palladium Theater, New Tampa Performing Arts Center, the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, and the Manatee Performing Arts Center, among other venues. He has been seen on Fox News live while working with Tampa City Ballet and the Suncoast News Network under Azara Ballet. Nicholas began teaching at the University of South Florida (USF), West Florida Dance Company, and was promoted to Interim Associate Artistic Director of Azara Ballet for the remainder of Azara’s second season. Nicholas was recently one of three artists to be selected as a 2026 Creative Fellow through the Palladium Theater and just finished re-staging his choreography for a graduating senior at the Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance in Austria. Additionally, his piece: Hurt People Hurt People created by West Florida Dance Company, was performed at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa Bay. His choreography has been recognized at numerous national competitions, such as the Youth America Grand Prix. Recently, in Nashville, his choreography was awarded Top 12 at YAGP for the Senior Contemporary division. Nicholas will be touring to Lublin, Poland, this fall to perform again with Jasmine Ellis Projects.
