ABOUT IZZY
Izzy Nelson is a dancer, singer, actor, and collaborator with knack for leadership and community building who specializes in pre-contemporary and contemporary musical theater. A sucker for a classic love story and an optimist at heart, Izzy believes in the power of performance to provide joy and hope beyond this world.
Izzy has always been musically inclined, her earliest filmed performance at age three featuring five minutes of baby bounces right on beat with Bono’s angelic vocals. She quickly fell in love with the beauty of storytelling through movement and music, organizing full productions at family gatherings and singing her heart away on the soccer field and down ski slopes. Izzy finally found her home when she began her dance training at age ten, which led her into competitive dance and, eventually, to earn a BFA in Dance Performance at Chapman University in 2024. It was there that Izzy had the opportunity to perform works choreographed by Dwight Rhoden, Brian Nicholson, Wilson Mendieta, and Brandee Lara as well as setting works of her own across multiple venues in Orange County.
Throughout her years in college, Izzy realized her passions stretched beyond just dance and into musical theater, so she quickly finagled her way into as many theater and vocal classes as she could. Izzy made her regional debut as a swing in Moonlight Stage’s Escape to Margaritaville last summer, and she is excited to continue pursuing theatre and dance in her new home - New York City.
When she’s not singing and dancing down the streets of Manhattan, Izzy can be found buying $8 lattes at local coffee shops, reading the latest romance or fantasy novel, scouring Pinterest, or making her next travel itinerary.
To me, the most compelling moments in dance are the ones where the choreography becomes so entrapped in the dancer's bodies that they become humans telling a story, that movement is the natural response to whatever emotion or narrative is being portrayed. My art combines traditional jazz dance techniques with minimalistic moments and utilizes juxtaposing tempo and dynamics, creating a world where dance and human experiences become one.
teaching statement
My classes typically consists of an aerobic warmup, stretching, strengthening, across the floor, and center work(barre exercises also included for ballet classes). I take a holistic approach to dance, looking further than just the physical being and into the mental and emotional being. I tend to add layers like visual challenges and facing shifts to tie mental growth to physical growth, as well as promoting critical thinking by allowing students to articulate what they see and experience in class. Not only am I a teacher, but I am a mentor, a leader, a guide, a human, a work in progress, a light, an inspiration, a stronghold, a community-builder, and a friend.