sam nicol

OWNER, CO-DIRECTOR & INSTRUCTOR

Sam has been dancing for over 21 years and has been teaching and choreographing for over 9 years. Sam grew up in Ankeny studying all styles of dance including ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, lyrical, modern, contemporary, and hip-hop. In her youth, she performed in several dance productions in Iowa. Sam played the roles of Clara, Arabian Queen, Spanish, and many other parts in the Nutcracker, and was also the Dancing Master in Cinderella. In 2010, she won the award of Protégé at The Pulse on Tour convention which allowed her to tour around the country and receive training from renowned professionals in the industry. Sam has received numerous titles and scholarships from other dance conventions and competitions including Miss Dance at Dance Champs, Miss Bravo at Bravo, and All-American Dancer at UDA and NDA. In high school, Sam was on the Ankeny Varsity Dance Team for three years, cheered on the football team as a Varsity Cheerleader, and was in the varsity show choir Visual Adrenaline.

After graduating from Ankeny High School In 2012, Sam studied for two semesters at the American Music and Dramatic Academy in Los Angeles as a dance major. During her time there, she was selected to be a part of the AMDA Hip-Hop Crew. Sam then found her passion in teaching and choreographing, and decided that her dream was to open her own dance studio. Sam graduated from the University of Iowa in 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Entrepreneurial Management. Sam's background in competitive dance, concert performance, studio instruction, and business management allows her to fulfill her purpose of providing students with quality dance instruction in a fun and positive environment. Sam is so excited to share her passion with all of the Motivate dancers!