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School/Business/Organization

Navajo Skies Dance

Title (Occupation)

Director and Founder

Tell us about yourself

Lyle Nelson, Founder/Director, is from Kayenta, AZ of the northeastern part of the state. He received a BFA degree in Dance from the University of Arizona in Tucson and is a high school graduate of the known Navajo Preparatory School Inc., of Farmington, NM. He began dancing at age 16 and had his first dance training at the renowned high school, Exeter Academy in Exeter, NH under the direction of Linda Luca – as part of a summer exchange student program in 1993. After this experience, he decided to pursue dance as his major later when he left to Tucson. His choreographic interests in dance themes are mostly related to Navajo textile art, myth stories, and American themes. Lyle is Navajo and part White Mountain Apache decent.

Since 1998, Lyle has also studied with known dance artists, such as former Martha Graham dancers/teachers - Donlin Foreman, Jacquelyn Buglisi, Mary Hinkson, Randy Duncan, and Melissa McCorkle; with former Bella Lewitsky dancer – Amy Ernst; and former Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago dancers – Michael Williams, Susan Quinn Williams, and Sam Watts.

In 1999, Lyle was a paid “movie extra” as one of the many Soldiers during the making of the movie, Evolution (2000), directed by Ivan Reitman. The setting for half of the movie's content was filmed in the Page/Lake Powell, AZ area, where Lyle resided for 2 years from 1999-2001; he is proud to note, to have actually received paychecks from Dreamworks Productions during this time.

Lyle moved to Denver in 2001 and has remained since. He is also a Medical Assistant in a local community outpatient psychiatric care clinic and teaches Beginning Ballet to adults at the Washington Heights Arts Center in Lakewood, CO. Locally in Denver, Lyle has worked with the Denver Independent Choreographer's Project (DICP), Daydreamz Project, Fiesta Colorado, Ballet Arts Theatre, and Ballet Ariel.

Also recently, from 2005-2009, Lyle worked, as a Performer and Assistant Choreographer, with the known “Thothengine Productions” directed and founded by Daniel Crosier; which is a multi-media performance company that also presents “neo-kabuki” theater that surrounds the themes of shoguns and demons under the sub-company name “Odamfeimud (OFM).” With this company, he has performed the the roles of the Horse Demon and the 3rd Peasant as well as the roles of the Old Shogun and the 2nd Peasant; including roles from being a part of independent film projects by Daniel Crosier.

Lastly, Lyle is a member of and Dancer with the local and international company, Moraporvida Contemporary Dance, since 2006.

Tell us how you feel about arts education

I think businesses of any type need to be educated about the arts or a particular art medium, in my case, dance. But, artists need to be able to make a living and get paid the fees they are due; especially, as being a dancer, in my case, a rehearsal hourly rate and performance fee per show are extremely important. Too many 'free" shows do not help with food and shelter for the artist.

Therefore, it is important to hold a positive and hopeful light on the arts when addressed to children or adolescents in schools but this also includes highs schools, colleges, universities. Rather than this doom and gloom about surviving as an artist.

The one thing is participation from the school' s administrators need to support and keep themselves educated on the arts and many forms out there that are essential to the human development; but they also need to pay the artist their requested artist fees.

There is more information on my website at: www.nsdp.biz to read more about my work and my mission statement in addition to a lot of information on videos and photos, etc.

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