In the face of adversity and monumental challenges, how much resilience is the human spirit capable of? Yes, there are the usual challenges that come alongside doing anything that’s even remotely worthwhile. For instance, your boss might not approve your request for a raise and you might not pass the exam you studied for on the first or even second try.
But, by and large, not everyone faces challenges that could almost certainly spell the end of their dreams and still come out on top. Nadia White is one such exception, rising from a dream-stopping injury to a dancer, actor and an absolute inspiration.
Rewinding the Clock: Where it All Began
Nadia was born into a loving family and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Her childhood was filled with moments of twisting and turning, dancing and grooving to whatever beat and sound happened to catch her fancy, even if said sound was simply the music attached to the rolling credits at the end of a movie.
Whenever guests came around, she would put on a cute little dance performance for them and even went a step further to dance at school every chance she got. At 7 years old, she started a dance troupe called “The Groovy Dance Club” and it was such an exciting concept that friends and neighbours gave her a quarter to teach them fun routines she had spent the previous day perfecting.
Good Intentions, High Hopes, Painful Outcomes
Her mom being a dancer and dad being immensely supportive contributed in no small amount to who she is today as they registered her for classes the instant her passion for the craft was spotted.
In just a few years, she studied at Shelley’s Dance Studio for contemporary and ballet, Kore Dance Studio for hip hop styles, and Elite Dance Studio for ballroom. She equally received a full ride scholarship to train in Los Angeles at EDGE Performing Arts Centre and completed the International Baccalaureate Dance Program for Composition at Victoria School of the Arts.
All her life, she trained rigorously to become an excellent performer who did not simply move to the rhythm but also embodied the music itself.
Unfortunately, all her rigorous training led to tearing the cartilage in both her hips at 16. Needless to say, it was one of the worst periods of her life, setting her back two years in her career and draining life of its meaning.
She underwent surgeries to treat the injuries and spent a lot of time healing but also looking inward. The question that popped up consistently throughout the process was “who am I beyond my attachments and identities?”
The Rebound
The phase of healing and recovery went on to define Nadia’s personality succinctly – someone who never quits, is relentlessly ambitious and will keep on moving forward even when her legs give out figuratively and, apparently, literally too.
Between the ages of 16 and 18, despite recovering from painful surgery, Nadia went on to attend the University of Alberta and took classes in psychology, philosophy, engineering, calculus, film studies, among several others. In the process, she broadened her knowledge of human behaviour, film, and the world that surrounded her generally.
Right after, she moved to Vancouver and signed with da Costa Talent Management, one of the best dance agencies in the country. She immediately began working professionally and her list of achievements are truly something remarkable.
Over Eight Major Performance Roles, but Who’s Counting?
The following are the times you’ll find Nadia White on screen or stage, doing what she does best:
- Riverdale (Season 2 – 4): Yes, the Riverdale. The same one nominated for Best Dramatic Series at the Leo Awards and the winner of the Favorite Drama Show category at the People’s Choice Award.
Working closely with Heather Laura Gray, she came onboard as an on-screen dancer and a pre-visualization dancer here. Her first appearance was in the season 2 finale, where she danced alongside people like Camila Mendes, Lili Reinhart and Madelaine Petsch in numerous musical performances from “Carrie: The Musical.” Subsequently, she went on to appear in seasons 3 and 4 as a previsualization dancer and on-screen dancer as well.
- Monster High 2: Directed by Todd Holland and nominated for Outstanding Choreography at the Emmys, she once again worked with Heather Laura Gray – choreographer – and Randa Barett – assistant choreographer – as an on-screen dancer and pre-visualization dancer.
- Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies: The visions of choreographers, Jamal Sims, Jeffrey Mortensen, and Louise Hradsky shaped the performances in this musical series. It went on to win multiple awards, including Best Choreography in a Dramatic Series at the Leo Awards, Best Comedy Series at the Women’s Image Network Awards and two nominations for Outstanding Choreography at the Emmys, among others. She came onboard as an on-screen dancer and pre-visualization dancer.
- Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist: Mandy Moore was the main choreographer on this show, alongside choreographers Jeffrey Mortensen and Jillian Meyers. With the show being centered around a woman who can hear people’s thoughts in songs, it’s no surprise it had multiple musical numbers. She worked as an on-screen dancer in two episodes of the second season and the show has gone on to win several awards, including Outstanding Choreography for Scripted Programming at the Emmys and Best Choreography in a Dramatic Series at the Leo Awards.
- Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas: She worked with Jeffrey Mortensen, Jillian Meyers, and Mandy Moore as an on-screen dancer here. This, too, went on to be nominated for different awards.
- Love at the Bootcamp: This is one of the many times Nadia had to wear multiple hats in her career and she did it brilliantly. In this heartfelt romantic comedy, she worked as an actor, a dancer and a choreographer.
- Charmed: Nadia was an on-screen dancer, for this epic revival of a cult classic.
- Vancouver’s Opera “Turandot”: This was easily one of Vancouver’s best opera productions, getting rave reviews from critics. Nadia White performed as a dancer here.
Beyond all these brilliant performances, however, an absolute highlight of Nadia White’s career is her performance for the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line on Anthem of the Seas in “Spectra’s Cabaret.” The cruise in question has won the Best Cruise Line award for more than two decades.
The reason this performance was so thrilling was the sheer mechanics of it. For starters, their state-of-the-art theatre technology made it such that screens move among the dancers and the floor is always moving, lending a feeling of unparalleled excitement in the process of practicing her craft.
Secondly, during the performance, the cruise’s theatre saw her emerge from the sky, spinning as an aerialist and, at a separate time, popping up from the floor into a stage already replete with performing dancers, throwing her right in the middle of an ecstatic performance and crowd.
Even More Accolades
In the course of her career, for the astonishing work she put in, she:
- Received numerous cash prizes, winning multiple competitions across Canada for her student choreography and performance
- Received accolades from the Oniros Film Awards for her leading role and work as a choreographer in Eclosion
- Won a full scholarship to the EDGE Performing Arts Centre in Los Angeles for her solo performance choreographed by Megan Lawson (choreographer for Madonna, Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj etc.) at Showtime Promotions dance competition
The list goes on.
Looking Forward
Nadia White has shown resilience in the face of adversity and beaten impossible odds to make a brilliant success of her career, winning awards, performing on grand stages and working with celebrities others might only ever see on screen.
But, her drive remains unbroken. In the next decade, she intends working on even more international projects, choreographing with music artists of the highest caliber, and exploring more provocative and bizarre themes that push her past her artistic and physical limits.
To achieve this, she will take more classes, refine her dance capabilities, work on more choreography projects and take herself out of her comfort zone.
