Jennifer Nichols is an award-winning Canadian director, choreographer, and dancer known for her dynamic, embodied artistic voice across stage, film, and television. Her extensive stage credits include The Seven Deadly Sins (Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Oregon Summer Music Festival), the Dora Award–winning Messiah (Against the Grain Theatre), the Dora Award–nominated Pandora (FAWN Chamber Creative), Die Fledermaus (Opera 5), Sweat (Bicycle Opera), L’Histoire du Soldat (Toronto Summer Music Festival), Lilt (Esprit Orchestra), Sewing the Earthworm (The Canadian Art Song Project) and La Belle Hélène (The Glenn Gould School). She was also commissioned as director of Traversée for Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and has served as Assistant Director with the Canadian Opera Company. This season, Jennifer directs Canuck Cantatas with Against the Grain Theatre and is thrilled to return to Opera 5 as Director/Choreographer of the world premiere of Cecilia Livingstone’s Parḗlios.

Her choreographic work spans major platforms including Netflix, Amazon, CBC, HBO Max, and Crave. She was Head Choreographer and Dance Consultant for the Netflix original series Tiny Pretty Things and Choreographer for all four seasons of Reign (CW), cementing her reputation as a specialist in historical dance. Jennifer’s feature film directorial debut, Sweat, premiered at the Kingston Canadian Film Festival, earning Opera America’s Award for Digital Excellence in Artistic Creation (2024) and Best Narrative Feature at the L.A. Independent Women Film Awards (2023). Celebrated director Atom Egoyan calls it “An extraordinary film. Made with care and bravura, and full of rich emotion.”