Nya Bowman

Nya Bowman is a Professional Dancer and Educator.  She has over 15 years as a professional dancer and teaching artist. She specializes in Contemporary Dance and Graham Technique.

Nya danced as a chorus dancer with The Martha Graham Dance Company under the directions of Therese Capucilli and Christine Dakin in the production Indisputably Martha Graham at City Center Theater, New York City. Later she toured nationally as a member of the Martha Graham Ensemble currently known as Graham 2 performing the soloist roles as “The Leader” in Martha Graham’s Steps in the Streets, “Pioneer Women” in Application Spring, and “Red Girl” in Diversions of Angels.  Nya’s latest accomplishment with The Martha Graham Dance Company was soloist in the show Cercando Picasso, 2012 Italian Tour. Nya was invited by Artistic Director Janet Eilber to perform Martha Graham’s solo roles; Lamentation, excerpt of Spectre and “The Leader” in Steps in the Streets.

Nya was faculty at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance where she helped develop the Teens@Graham, which is a dance program for young adolescents and young artists. She later became the director of the program which still continues to be a major component at the Martha Graham School today.  Additionally, she has nationally and internationally taught Graham Technique workshops interdependently and independently for the Martha Graham Dance School. Nya’s classes consist of NYC style contemporary modern Graham-Based dance classes. She also teaches traditional Graham Technique classes. Nevertheless her classes are a mixture of her artistic experience and background that she shares in abundance with her students. She has taught Dance for Actors at the New York City Neighborhood Playhouse, Graham Technique at The Harlem School of the Arts, Long Island University Brooklyn Campus, The Martha Graham Dance School, LaGuardia High School (The Fame School), The Laban Centre of Contemporary Dance in London, Peridance International Dance Center and The Place in London. She has taught contemporary dance workshops in dance residencies in Surinam, Curacao, and Spain. Nya has been on panels and taught dance in the classroom for educators at The Egg Albany NY; ArtsEdge Kennedy Center Washington DC, and New York City Department of Education’s schools. Her classes include Martha Graham’s philosophies of the use of imagery, the use of one’s own personal experiences and the enjoyment of their craft in order to share the inner light.  She encourages her students to use their own artistic voice by using both their own experiences along with their new lessons learned in becoming better artist.

Nya’s professional credits are not limited to the Graham Company or its technique. She has danced for The Washington National Opera, The NYC Metropolitan Opera, and one time apprenticeship program with Urban Bush Women Dance Company. She has also worked with numerous choreographers, companies, and extended her career into films, commercials, and television.  She was featured in a small play, A Modern Venus, a few televisions series such as The Good Wife, and a few short films. The first small film that Nya was featured in, Born, premiered at the 2006 African American Women in Cinema Film Festival in New York City and was shown in other film festivals. 

Nya is originally from the Lower East Side of New York City and currently spends half the year in New York City and the other in Barcelona, Spain. She holds a Bachelor in Fine Arts in Dance from Rutgers University-Mason Gross School of the Arts and a Professional Dance Training Certificate from the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance. She is also Sole Proprietor of NYC STAR HOSPITALITIES.