Nichole Ortega began her classical ballet training in 1975 with Sandra Allen. From 1984 to 1990, she continued her classical ballet training with Jacqueline P. Colledge, as a member and soloist with Utah Regional Ballet Company. Nichole completed her undergraduate studies in Health Education and Dance Education at Brigham Young University. She then studied at California State University, Long Beach, earning a Master of Arts in Dance. For ten years, Nichole acted as the dance educator and developed the Modern Dance Program and Dance Company at Payson High School in Payson, Utah. Currently, Nichole is in her seventh year at Utah Valley University where she is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Dance. She teaches Ballet, Dance Education, and other core courses and recently acted as Artistic Director during the two inaugural years of UVU Repertory Ballet Ensemble. Nichole is an active member of the National Dance Education Organization, is Past-President of the Utah Dance Education Organization, and is the Arts Chair and President-Elect for the Utah Academy of Science, Arts, and Letters. She served two years as the Secondary Endorsement Dance Representative for the Utah State Office of Education and has choreographed for Synergy Dance Company, Contemporary Dance Ensemble, Utah Regional Ballet, Utah Regional Ballet II, Boise State College, and Scera Shell Outdoor Theater. She was recently awarded an NEA grant, along with Angela Banchero-Kelleher and Kim Strunk, to re-stage Dance for Walt Whitman by Helen Tamaris. Nichole has been published twice in The Academy Journal and once in The Journal of the International Arts in Society, and has shared her research at several conferences, including her most recent presentation the International Arts in Society Conference in Venice, Italy.