Nicola has been teaching since September 2008 and has been Principal of her own dance school since April 2010 where classes are held at Brampton Community Centre, Ivegill Village Hall and Kirkoswald Village Hall. Classes are for all children aged 3 years and above. Nicola qualified under the Northern Counties Dance Teachers’ Association in the summer of 2008 and in July 2011, graduated from Liverpool John Moores University with a First Class BA(Hons) Degree in Dance Studies. She is a Fellow of the International Dance Teachers’ Association. Nicola is also a licensed teacher of ‘Melody Movement’, ‘Tip Tap Toe’ and ‘Groovy Moves’, 'First Ballet', and 'First Tap and Modern'. Nicola has also taught in many local schools including Fir Ends, Belle Vue, Wigton Infants, Brampton, Calthwaite and Lazonby. The main aim of the dance school is to give children the opportunity to learn various dance styles while having fun and meeting new friends. Lessons are well structured and lead to children being able to take examinations (if desired) under the IDTA. In the past, the dance school has received excellent results and it is great to see how much the children enjoy the exams and gain such confidence. Some pupils have been lucky enough to go through to the International Dance Theatre Awards. The dance school holds annual Christmas Shows where all children are invited to perform. Shows are held at Penrith Playhouse, Brampton Community Centre, Harraby Community Theatre and William Howard School (Brampton). The school has also performed at various local events including Brampton’s Royal Wedding Street Party, The Stepping Stones Festival, Hayton Summer Fayre, Brampton Summer Fayre and The Watson Institute, Castle Carrock. Nicola has also introduced an annual Summer School into the dance school. This involves spending one week learning and rehearsing routines to then showcase on the final evening. In April 2014, Nicola took 20 pupils to perform at Her Majesty’s Theatre, London. In October 2015, Nicola took 12 of her pupils to perform on a Mediterranean Cruise Ship as part of the professional entertainments team. In November 2016, Nicola Ivinson's School of Dance returned to Her Majesty's Theatre, London. In October 2018, NISD performed for a second time on board a Mediterranean Cruise Ship. In March 2020, NISD performed at The Shaftesbury Theatre, London. Many students of NISD have been lucky enough to perform with the English Youth Ballet and also at the annual Christmas Pantomime held at The Sands Centre, Carlisle. NISD was nominated as a finalist in the Dance School of the Year Awards 2016.
