Heather Nichols began her training at West End Academy of Dance in Richmond, Virginia. At the age of 16, Ms. Nichols joined the Richmond Ballet as a trainee. From 2011 to 2015, Ms. Nichols attended Butler University and received her Bachelor of Science in Dance Pedagogy and Pre-Physical Therapy. After graduating, she accepted a contract with Ballet San Antonio, where she spent four seasons. In 2019, Ms. Nichols joined Kansas City Ballet and in 2022 Ms. Nichols accepted a contract with BalletRI. Heather has participated in many project based works with Pointeworks as both a choreographer and as a dancer, Moving Arts CO, and National Choreographer’s Initiative. 

Throughout her career, Heather has danced leading and featured roles in works by Peter Anastos, Gerald Arpino, George Balanchine, Devon Carney, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Edwaard Liang, José Limon, Parish Maynard, Emily Mistretta, Trey McIntyre, Helen Pickett, Willy Shives, Price Suddarth, Ben Stevenson, Septime Webre, Bruce Wells, Haley and Easton Wells and Yury Yanowski. 

As a choreographer,  Ms. Nichols' work has been commissioned by companies including Kansas City Ballet, Ballet RI, PointeWorks, and Moving Arts CO, and has premiered in Kansas City, MO, San Diego, CA, New York, NY, and Providence, RI, among others. Her work Meraki was originally choreographed for Kansas City Ballet and made its West Coast premiere in San Diego, CA for Pointeworks' inaugural season in 2024. It was performed again in March of 2025 in NYC. In 2025, she created a second work for the company, Nexalune. Her works Genesis and La Vie De... were both created for her resident company Ballet RI.  

Heather's creations blend emotion and movement narrated by the music. Heather’s choreographic style is rooted in her foundation and career as a professional ballet dancer, with a strong classical base shaped by contemporary and modern dance influences. She focuses deeply on expanding the possibilities of pointe work and often explores grounded transitions and circular partnering to challenge traditional expectations.

Her work is driven by the dynamics of weight, resistance, and rebound—investigating the fluidity of movement through seamless transitions and physical interplay. While grounded in classical structure, her approach to each creation is collaborative, shaping movement in response to the unique qualities of the dancers. Heather’s goal is always to support the narrative or theme while amplifying each performer’s individual strengths.