Nashville Ballet CEO Nick Mullikin shares his journey from dancer to director
Ballet saved Nick Mullikin during a challenging time in his life where he was going through a lot of pain.
The power of movement and dance helped him cope and thrive.
He went to perform as a ballet dancer and while an injury left him hurt at a young age, he did not abandon his passion to be in and of ballet.
Today, he is the artistic director and CEO of The Nashville Ballet.
On Episode 375 of the Tennessee Voices video podcast, Mullikin talked about his origin story and how he and his colleagues are working to make ballet more accessible to the general public.
"Ballet is always going to be pinned as an elitist art form," he told me.
He talks about engaging young audiences through "The Nutcracker" in person and on television, and traveling to 20 different Metro Council districts -- not just downtown -- to invite the public to experience ballet.
Hear more Tennessee Voices: Get the weekly opinion newsletter for insightful and thought provoking columns.
Sign up for Latino Tennessee Voices newsletter: Read compelling stories for and with the Latino community in Tennessee.
Sign up for Black Tennessee Voices newsletter: Read compelling columns by Black writers from across Tennessee.
About Tennessee Voices
The Tennessee Voices videocast is a 20-minute program, which started in March 2020 and invites leaders, thinkers and innovators who have written guest columns for a USA TODAY Network Tennessee publication to share their insights and wisdom with me and our viewers.
Watch past episodes: Tennessee Voices videocast
Please email your ideas for future guests to me at dplazas@tennessean.com. Thank you for watching.
Finally, our journalists are working hard during this pandemic to bring you accurate, verified and solid information. Please consider subscribing and supporting local journalism.
David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee. He is an editorial board member of The Tennessean. He hosts the Tennessee Voices videocast and curates the Tennessee Voices and Latino Tennessee Voices newsletters. Call him at (615) 259-8063 or email him at dplazas@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nick Mullikin of Nashville Ballet shares his journey through dance
