Nikki Herbst
Dance Reconstructions
I have been working with Andrew Shaw to make PDFs of his reconstructions of English country dances for several years. If you are interested in any of Andrew's not-yet-published reconstructions, please email me the name(s) of the dance(s) you would like to receive.
Click Here if you are looking for information on obtaining “The Irish Howle” book or CD.
I have been a dance nomad for many years, and I hope to continue for many more. Dancing and the dance community saved my life (it's a long story...), and I started teaching dance many years ago in the hope of spreading the goodness that I feel dancing together can bring to our lives. I love meeting new communities and returning to familiar ones, and I've been fortunate enough to lead English country dancing, contradancing, and dance leader workshops at numerous festivals and camps and at community dances across the map.
In my teaching I try to blend dance instructions with the presentation of historical information, demonstrations, style tips, memory aids, and cheerleading, all in the hope of inspiring dancers to have the most meaningful dance experience possible. I love to share what I have learned from my many teachers as well as what I have come to know over the years by working with dancers of all ability levels.
You can find links to some of the venues and events where I've taught on the next page. They're great places and occasions for dancing any time!
Here are links to dances I have written (Dancing with Ghosts, Dance for Sue*, Second City, The Lady Pheasant, and Sneaky Pete), to Tom Webb’s article “Dancing the Dance, an essay,” published in the CDSS Newsletter, Winter 2012, which he kindly states was inspired by my teaching at Pinewoods English Week in 2012, and to some of my other dance-related activities.
*Published in Nearer & Farther, Copyight © 2014 by Rebecca King.
To contact me:
Email: NikkiHerbst@gmail.com
I live most of the year in Hawthorne, Florida, with summers spent in Iowa and travel around the country for dancing. I hope you will invite me to your community.