Lina Jimenez Nykwist

Festival Participant

Lina Jimenez Nykwist was born in Colombia in 1981. She began painting in 1989 when she met Colombian painter Edgard Sanchez and studied with him for approximately ten years. Nykwist also studied at the Anna Pavlova Ballet Academy from 1987 to 1991. In 1997 she started exploring contemporary dance and jazz, and she was the recipient of a scholarship from ECODANZA, a Contemporary Dance School in Bogotá. Nykwist also studied music at La Clave Music School in Bogotá, and from 1997 until 2000 she studied classical saxophone at The Javeriana University. In the summer of 2000, Nykwist moved to New York City to attend the professional certificate program at The School of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and became a member of Dzul Dance Company. In 2002, she came to Toronto and completed her contemporary dance studies at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre. Since graduation Nykwist has had the honor of dancing works by different Toronto based dance companies and choreographers such as Newton Moraes Dance Theatre, Ballet Creolle, Van Arden Dance Projects, Alejandro Roncerias, Santee Smith and OMO Dance Company. Nykwist is a current member of Earth in Motion Indigenous Dance Company and she also works as an independent artist under the mentorship of Sharon Moore.