Gabi Nicholson-Dunbar - Advanced Ballet ISTD Cecchetti. Advanced Ballet RAD
Nidus Performing Arts / Sparklers Agency - Artistic Director
Nidus Theatre Company - Creative Director
Choreographer & Movement Director
Musical Arranger
Nidus Performing Arts
Ballet / Singing / DOLCE
Gabriela Nicholson-Dunbar was born in Newport, S. Wales UK and has worked as a professional performer for 20 years. She has worked mainly as a dancer specialising in ballet. Her early training was with the late Myra Silcox in Pontypool, Torfaen, then at 16 she moved to London after gaining a place at the Urdang Academy in Covent Garden, London. Here she completed a three year, full time course in ballet and performing arts, being taught by many of the top teachers in the country.
She started her professional career dancing with the Vienna Festival Ballet Company performing in ballets such as The Nutcracker and Swan Lake. She returned to Wales briefly to work as a dancer in various light entertainment shows for HTV Wales and she has also appeared in the TV shows, Casualty, Dr. Who and The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobefor the BBC. Around this time she also danced in Die Frau Ohne Schatten, The Bartered Bride and Carmen for the Welsh National Opera and as a principal dancer and founder member of Gwent Ballet Theatre (now known as Ballet Cymru). Following this she won the role of Meg Giry in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom Of The Opera (Stella Musicals) where she was coached for her role by Gillian Lynne, the choreographer of Phantom and the musical Cats. She was also given the job of Dance Supervisor and on occasion acted as In House Director as well as auditioning artistes for the production.
It was whilst working in this show that she met her husband Nicholas Dunbar. During her time at Phantom she helped with the translation to set up a production of Miss Saigon in Stuttgart, Germany, and also adapted the Masquerade scene from Phantom for German television. After moving back to the UK she worked along side Colin Baker (Dr Who) and Louise Jameson (Dr Who, Eastenders, Bergerac & Doc Martin) in Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs in London.
Her last contract as a professional dancer took Gabi and her husband to Tokyo, Japan where they worked for Disney International as principal performers in the original cast of Broadway Encore. They were the only British performers to be chosen and worked with renowned American choreographers Patti Columbo and John Sharron who were 2001 Emmi Award nominees. In February 2002 Gabi and Nick moved to Wales and in April of that year Gabi set up Nidus Ballet School in Cwmbran and Pontypool. In April 2003 Nidus Theatre Arts senior department was officially opened followed by the junior section 5 months later. The school is now known as Nidus Performing Arts.
Gabi also writes many of the musical arrangements performed by Nidus Performing Arts students and has conducted the Nidus Performing Arts Show Choir Ysbrydoliaeth at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod where they won Show Choir of the Year in 2013 and we placed 3rd in the Open Catagory in 2015. She is the Creative Director and part of the music writing team developing ideas for Nidus Theatre Company which specialises in musical plays/ shows for young audiences.
Nidus Performing Arts / Sparklers Agency - Artistic Director
Nidus Theatre Company - Creative Director
Choreographer & Movement Director
Musical Arranger
Nidus Performing Arts
Ballet / Singing / DOLCE
Gabriela Nicholson-Dunbar was born in Newport, S. Wales UK and has worked as a professional performer for 20 years. She has worked mainly as a dancer specialising in ballet. Her early training was with the late Myra Silcox in Pontypool, Torfaen, then at 16 she moved to London after gaining a place at the Urdang Academy in Covent Garden, London. Here she completed a three year, full time course in ballet and performing arts, being taught by many of the top teachers in the country.
She started her professional career dancing with the Vienna Festival Ballet Company performing in ballets such as The Nutcracker and Swan Lake. She returned to Wales briefly to work as a dancer in various light entertainment shows for HTV Wales and she has also appeared in the TV shows, Casualty, Dr. Who and The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobefor the BBC. Around this time she also danced in Die Frau Ohne Schatten, The Bartered Bride and Carmen for the Welsh National Opera and as a principal dancer and founder member of Gwent Ballet Theatre (now known as Ballet Cymru). Following this she won the role of Meg Giry in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom Of The Opera (Stella Musicals) where she was coached for her role by Gillian Lynne, the choreographer of Phantom and the musical Cats. She was also given the job of Dance Supervisor and on occasion acted as In House Director as well as auditioning artistes for the production.
It was whilst working in this show that she met her husband Nicholas Dunbar. During her time at Phantom she helped with the translation to set up a production of Miss Saigon in Stuttgart, Germany, and also adapted the Masquerade scene from Phantom for German television. After moving back to the UK she worked along side Colin Baker (Dr Who) and Louise Jameson (Dr Who, Eastenders, Bergerac & Doc Martin) in Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs in London.
Her last contract as a professional dancer took Gabi and her husband to Tokyo, Japan where they worked for Disney International as principal performers in the original cast of Broadway Encore. They were the only British performers to be chosen and worked with renowned American choreographers Patti Columbo and John Sharron who were 2001 Emmi Award nominees. In February 2002 Gabi and Nick moved to Wales and in April of that year Gabi set up Nidus Ballet School in Cwmbran and Pontypool. In April 2003 Nidus Theatre Arts senior department was officially opened followed by the junior section 5 months later. The school is now known as Nidus Performing Arts.
Gabi also writes many of the musical arrangements performed by Nidus Performing Arts students and has conducted the Nidus Performing Arts Show Choir Ysbrydoliaeth at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod where they won Show Choir of the Year in 2013 and we placed 3rd in the Open Catagory in 2015. She is the Creative Director and part of the music writing team developing ideas for Nidus Theatre Company which specialises in musical plays/ shows for young audiences.