Nikolais, Alwin

Nikolais, Alwin

(1912–93) choreographer; born in Southington, Conn. After training with Hanya Holm, he worked as a choreographer in Connecticut before moving to New York in 1948. At the Henry Street Playhouse he developed innovative theatrical concepts in children's theater and in his own company, the Nikolais Dance Theater. His avant-garde works are especially noted for their exotic costumes and arbitrary movements.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.