Nichola Johnson, Artist Statement I am a humanitarian.  I am a mother.  I am an artist.  I work in the medium of dance through the medium of people and the humanistic interpretation of the response of people to other facets and reactions of human life.  People and emotion and how the interaction of emotions can connect so strongly for some and leave little connection for others intrigue me.  I am an interpreter.  I am a reporter. I am a choreographer.  I observe the world around me, sometimes subconsciously, sometimes knowingly and interpret then report what I see though choreographic movement.   I am interested in capturing the sensation of the observation more than the physical interaction.  The emotional sentiment at the moment of view inspires me.  I am a creator.  I am a visionary.  I am a dancer.  My work is often collaborative in method and the intuition of others inspires and fuels me creatively.  I see the world through movement and expression; I feel stories and poetry as the everyday life floats by.  I am driven by the brilliance of others and powered by sharing my passion of art and creation with willing participants.   Director, Nichola Johnson brings over twenty -five years of extensive experience in the dance/arts field.  She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts, is currently pursuing her Master of Fine Arts in Interdisciplinary Arts at Goddard College, and is the founder of the Breakin' Through Dance Company. Nichola is an adjunct professor of dance at Nichols College, has served on the faculty of Arts at the Capitol Theater, a performing arts high school in Willimantic, CT, and is currently a guest choreographer at the Pomfret School.  She believes in dance as an art, not a competitive sport and continually conceptualizes her belief that all genres of art connect; to truly master one you must gain an awareness and appreciation for all.

Performing Arts Education Philosophy   The Education Studio at The CPAC is dedicated to keeping the art of dance, theatre and music alive and sharing the highest level of education with the community.  We focus our education on training and performance while also giving our students a strong sense of self awareness and creative opportunities to ensure their successes moving forward.  Our mission is to bring out each student's individual talent in a non-competitive and supportive atmosphere.    The Complex Performing Arts Centre is a conservatory style studio.  The Complex dancers do not participate in dance competitions; we proudly focus our energies on technical proficiency, creativity, performance, choreography and arts activism.  Theatre Students have opportunities to perform produced and original work and our Choir Escape Chorus performs community-wide and in collaboration with other artists.

Classes are available to all ages and levels.  Infant through adult classes are offered at many convienent times.  Our advanced, pre-professional classes offer the tools needed for young dances to prepare for the future.

Opportunities will also arise for students to audition for the Breakin' Through Dance Company, a student-run contemporary dance company.  Aside from it's own original performances, Breakin' Through also performs for many events and fundraisers throughout the area.  The CPAC offers recreational classes in addition to our pre-professional track.  Creative arts are a proven source of positive development in children and teens, we aid students in creating their voice in the art world, therefore helping them to achieve success in life.  Our classes instill discipline, control, patience and most importantly, self-confidence and identification.

At The CPAC students receive the highest level of dance, theatre and music education.  All faculty members are professionally trained artists who share a passion for performing arts and education.  The CPAC offers two spacious dance studios, a creative arts studio, a large waiting area, and an 85 seat performance venue.  The  Complex Performing Arts Centre offers education, performance, community outreach, arts activism, and a supportive and nurturing environment for children and adults to grow, explore, express, create, evolve, and above all BE.

The Complex Performing Arts Centre was founded in 2005 to give students a conservatory style education in a small town environment.  The studio concentrates on bringing out each student's/performer's individual creative nature and nourishes that creativity to enhance their talents.

The Students of The Complex Performing Arts Centre proudly present at least three performances a year allowing all students to experience and explore the performance aspects of the performing arts.  Our student company, The Breakin' Through Dance Company performs many new works every year, please help support the arts!

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