Nikaio Bulan Sahar Thomashow (they/them/theirs) is a mixed Jewish and Filipinx American choreographer and composer based in New York City. 

​

Nikaio started training in ballet at age 10 at the Lake Placid School of Dance and finished their training at the French Academie of Ballet. They attended summer programs hosted by Teatro Alla Scala, Ecole Superiere du Montreal du Quebec, American Ballet Theatre, and many others. Nikaio also has a background in various street dance, such as break dancing and dancehall. They graduated from Oberlin College of Arts and Sciences in 2018 with a degree in dance and concentration in 'performance of identity.'  There, they explored the bounds of how bodies are affected by a person’s history and how this can influence the quality and production of movement. As a part time student, they are pursuing a degree in Business Administration from North Country Community College, with intentions of completing an MBA. Nikaio aspires to open their own venue that caters to hosting immersive mixed media performances.

​

At age 16, Nikaio joined Rebecca Kelly Ballet as a trainee and personal assistant. While in college, Nikaio danced in and choreographed for various student and faculty productions. They were a guest choreographer and performer for Neos Dance Company and participated in Oberlin Dance Project's "Forgone Territory" under the direction of Alysia Ramos and Nathan Trice.  Following college, Nikaio worked as a Shansi Fellow at Universitas Gadjah Mada in Yogyakarta Indonesia, where they studied traditional dance and were a member of the street dance crew, Freakingz. At the start of the pandemic, Nikaio returned home and began working remotely for Daloy Dance Company, which gave them the opportunity to created the digital work "MAMAHAY" and organize Ugnayan, a virtual dance intensive that connected Filipinos from around the world. Currently, they are in their second season with EMERGE125, under the direction of Tiffany Rea-Fisher. 

​

​

 

​