Episode 32: Crystal Nicholls

Crystal Nicholls is in the studio this month! She is a wellness coach and former West End dancer born in Barbados and now based in London.

Crystal spent six years in The Lion King on the West End, and she also danced on cruise ships, and in TV, commercials, and film projects before transitioning into the health and wellness space for the performing arts. She’s spoken about how performing eight shows a week, while an amazing experience, was also relentless and led to a sense of burnout.

That experience ignited another passion for her: helping other performers feel their best. During the 2020 lockdowns, Crystal got to work retraining as a holistic health coach and nutrition specialist. With a BFA in Performance Dance and more than a decade on the stage, she combines lived experience with science-backed strategies in her coaching work. Her clients include West End performers, commercial dancers, TV actors, companies, and even performers who are transitioning into new careers. 

She spoke with me about her journey from dancer to coach and how she works to support performer health and change the narrative each dancer carries about their body and their career. She also shared some behind the scenes stories and insights from her dance career and gave her best advice to adult dancers about how to hold on to joy when dancing, balance busy lives, and ways they play a crucial role in the wellness conversation. 

I loved hearing from Crystal about why health and wellness shouldn’t be a luxury, but one of the foundations of dance as an art form. Check it out!

• Follow Crystal on Instagram: @crystal_nicholls
• Learn more about Crystal’s coaching: crystalnicholls.com
• Check out Applause for Thought: applauseforthought.co.uk

The Adult Ballet Studio is now on YouTube! @adultballetstudio

Music in this episode:

Waltz of the Flowers - Tchaikovsky

Barroom Ballet - Silent Film Light - Kevin MacLeod

Barroom Ballet - Silent Film Light by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100310

Artist: http://incompetech.com/

@eblosfield  | [e-mail]

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