Sally Jacques

FOUNDER / ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Sally Jacques, Founder of Blue Lapis Light, creates site-specific aerial dance works that transform urban spaces by engaging architecture with movement, music and nature.

As native of England with multicultural heritage, Jacques’ life has been unconventional from childhood on. As a young dance performer, she hitchhiked throughout Europe with little money, sleeping on beaches, broken down ruins, and even a heated phone booth in the Swiss Alps. A seeker at heart, Jacques continued to travel to many parts of the world and connect with dedicated and inspiring activists from diverse backgrounds. All of Jacques’ memories breathe life and vision into Blue Lapis Light.

Jacques’ early career included international performances in Munich, Barcelona, Vienna and Costa Rica. She studied dance at The Place and The Contemporary Dance Center in London and attended the Lee Strasberg Drama School in New York to study improvisation and acting. Jacques also studied movement at the Oval Theatre in London.

For many years, Jacques traveled the world for social justice, attending the United Nations Conferences and World Social Forums in Brazil, Vienna, China, Mumbai and Spain. She participated in peace talks in Germany, Malta, and Italy, and attended the United Nations Environment and Development Plenaries in Florida. Jacques worked with the Everardo Foundation to raise awareness of Mayan genocide in Guatemala and worked with the American Committee to Save Bosnia. She traveled to the rape camps in the former-Yugoslavia collecting medical supplies for the refugees. In 1993, Jacques performed a dance-monologue at the United Nations Conference on Human Rights in Vienna.

The recipient of numerous honors, Jacques has been awarded: the USA Artists Fellowship Award Nominee (2008), Austin Arts Hall of Fame Inductee (2007), Samsung Signature Award (2006), Greater Austin YWCA Woman of the Year for Achievement in the Arts (2003), Honorary Lifetime Member of the Golden Key National Honor Society (2003), Art Matters, NYC (1992) and The Susan B. Anthony Award for Peace (1988).

Jacques has received several Austin Critics Table Awards including: Best Dance Concert (2000, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2016 and 2017), Top Ten Performances (2004), Top 10 Dance Events (2006), Top 10 Dance Treasures (2010, 2012, 2016, 2017 and 2020), Top 10 Joys of Dance (2019) and Best Choreographer (2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017).

Receiving multiple grants throughout her career, Jacques has been bestowed: the New Form Regional Initiative Grant with José Luis Bustamante funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, Rockefeller Foundation and Andy Warhol Foundation (1994), National Endowment for the Arts (1988, 2006-present), Texas Commission on the Arts (1991-present), and the City of Austin Cultural Arts Division (1991-present).

Jacques’ work has been recognized and featured at South by Southwest (SXSW) Community Screening (2018), PBS/KLRU‘s Arts in Context Belonging, Part One (2017), PBS/KLRU‘s Arts in Context Here and Beyond (2014), PBS/KLRU’s Austin Now: Faces of Austin (2006), and PBS/KLRU’s Austin Now (2004). 64 Beds for the Homeless has been screened at museums in New York City, Berlin, Madrid, and Rome (2015-2024). Jacques was a featured speaker at PechaKucha Austin (2019).

As well as being interviewed on many radio and television stations, Jacques has also had her work studied and published in several magazines and books. Some of these include: Site Dance: Choreographers and the Lure of Alternative Spaces by Carolyn Pavlik and Melanie Kloetzel (2009), Dance Appreciation, a collegiate textbook by Dawn Davis Loring and Julie L. Pentz (2021), 64 Beds and Other Site Works by Sally Jacques (1996) published by Plain View Press, and Flying High Above the Texas Sky: Aerial Dance Takes Off in the Lone Star State by Nichelle Suzanne/Arts & Culture Texas (2019). Jacques has had essays published about her works in Portugal, New Zealand, Atlanta’s Arts Papers (1988-2004), Performance Magazine, Chicago (1993), Austin American-Statesman, and The Austin Chronicle (1988-present).

To make dance accessible for all and to foster a sense of community, Jacques taught movement to at-risk teenagers, prison inmates, and senior citizens for many years. Currently, Blue Lapis Light mentors at-risk youth through the Youth Taking Flight program.

Nicole Whiteside

ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Nicole Whiteside loves dance! During her 13 years with Blue Lapis Light she has served as associate artistic director, performer, choreographer, rigger, and instructor. Her classical ballet training began at age two and blossomed into a life-long love of dance. She has studied at esteemed studios including Houston Ballet Academy, High School for Performing and Visual Arts, Austin School of Classical Ballet, and Marsha Woody Academy of Dance. She graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a BFA in Dance and has continued dancing in Austin with local companies, including Sharir+Bustamante Danceworks, Sheep Army/Elsewhere Dance Theater, Austin School of Classical Ballet, Cheryl Chaddick Dance Theater, and Little Stolen Moments.

She has received numerous awards from the Austin Critics Table including Best Dancer in 2007 and 2013 and Best Duet in 2008. The Austin Chronicle awarded Little Stolen Moments Best Dance Company in 2010 and Best Creative Use of Three Small Trampolines in 2007. For New Year’s, First Night commissioned her performance, Fabric of the Hour, a silks piece performed inside Austin City Hall. She was nominated Best Choreographer for her aerial choreography with ZACH Theatre’s Metamorphoses by the B. Iden Payne Awards. Nicole manages Blue Lapis Light’s studio where she teaches the art of aerial dance. She has performed aerial silks since 2005, studying with aerialists at New England Center for the Circus Arts, Air Dance Bernasconi, Aircat Aerial Arts, House of Yes, Liza Rose, and FALL. Nicole is driven by collaboration and is eternally grateful for the unique beauty in all people! 

JESSICA NERO-MCARTHUR

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Jessica Nero-McArthur became the Executive Director of Blue Lapis Light in 2017, drawn to the organization's unique blend of performing arts and community outreach. Hailing from Rome, New York, Jessica initially launched her career in finance. Her path took a transformative turn when she joined the finance department at AIDS Services of Austin, sparking her passion for nonprofit work. With over 20 years of experience in the sector, Jessica has also served as the Operations Manager at The Arc of the Capital Area, where she became deeply involved in arts nonprofits and supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. A certified Conscious Ambassador, Jessica is dedicated to understanding the impact of lived experiences on personal values. Outside of work, she actively contributes to her community by organizing holiday events for local nursing homes, advocating for the arts, and supporting animal adoption efforts.