Dana E. Nicolay Dance Endowed Scholarship

The Dana E. Nicolay Dance Endowed Scholarship was established but friends, family, alumni, and Dana and Betty Nicolay. Dana is a Professor Emeritus of Dance at Sam Houston State University (SHSU) having served 33 years on the dance faculty. Dana served as Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences for 7 years where he chaired the design and programming committee for the $38.5 million James and Nancy Gaertner Performing Arts Center, and he effectively designed the atrium. He was instrumental in establishing the Dance Department independent of the Department of Theater and Dance. As a member of professional companies such as the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the Houston Ballet, Contemporary Dancers Canada, and Space/Dance/Theater he toured throughout North America, Europe, and the Middle East. With these companies, he performed the works of many noted choreographers including George Balanchine, Sir Frederic Ashton, Eugene Loring, August Bournonville, John Cranko, and John Neumier. He has worked professionally with Agnes De Mille, Rudy Van Dantzig, Hans Van Manen, Bill T. Jones, Dan Wagoner, Bill Evans, Irene Dowd, James Clouser, and Nita Little among many others. The American College Dance Festival Association (ACDFA), the Mid-America Dance Network (MADN), and Regional Dance America (RDA) have recognized Dana’s choreography for excellence. Under his leadership, the dance program grew from 25 dance majors to over a hundred and achieved 14 selections for ACDFA regional festival gala concerts, which ultimately led to 5 consecutive bi-annual selections for the National College Dance Festival.