Nina Flagg

LA native Nina Flagg began studying gymnastics and dance at age three. She would continue to train at the Los Angeles School of Gymnastics (LASG) for 9 years in addition to studying Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Tap, and African Dance. Her dance training began with her mother Karen McDonald and continued with other notable teachers such as Yuri Grigoriev, Stefan Wenta, Ron Brown, Claude Thompson, Paul and Arlene Kennedy, and Nzingha Camara. At age 12, Flagg was introduced to director/choreographer Debbie Allen when she was hired as a young dancer and gymnast for the 65th Annual Academy Awards.

Flagg went on to attend Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA). It was during this period that she excelled under the tutelage of Don Hewitt, KaRon Brown-Lehman, Mary Bender, Rudy Perez, Don Bondi, and Hae-Kyung Lee. After graduating from LACHSA in 1997, Flagg began honing her skills in Hip-Hop dance while obtaining a BA in Sociology with a Specialization in Communications from UCLA.

During her senior year at UCLA, Flagg was invited to join the faculty of the Debbie Allen Dance Academy (DADA) in Culver City, CA. Her relationship with DADA would extend over the next decade as a Contemporary & Hip-Hop/Street Dance faculty member.

After graduating from UCLA, Flagg relocated to Philadelphia to train with Rennie Harris, Artistic Director of the Philadelphia-based Hip-Hop company Rennie Harris Puremovement. She went on to tour with the Puremovement company for five years as a principal dancer. Flagg continued her artistic relationship with Harris and served as Assistant Choreographer and Rehearsal Director in setting four of his original Hip-Hop repertory works on the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

In 2007, Flagg began working with renowned dancer/choreographer and mentor Toni Basil. She was hired by Basil as an assistant choreographer and Bette Midler’s personal dance coach for her Las Vegas residency, The Showgirl Must Go On. Flagg quickly became a fixture on Basil’s creative team, contributing choreography for Tina Turner’s 50th Anniversary Tour, Bette Midler’s Divine Intervention Tour, and additional television and film projects.

In 2016, she joined the Connecticut College Dance Department as visiting faculty to pilot the launch of its Hip-Hop Dance Studies program. Soon after, she returned to Los Angeles where she joined the CalArts School of Dance faculty developing BFA and MFA courses in Hip-Hop, House, Dancehall, and Composition.

In summer of 2018, she reunited with The Alvin Ailey Company as Rehearsal Director for Rennie Harris’ Lazarus, the first evening-length work in the company’s history. That fall, she transitioned to full-time faculty at the CalArts School of Dance, expanding her teaching role while also presenting original repertory works for the school’s partnership with REDCAT Theatre. During her five years as CalArts faculty, she had the honor of traveling to India on behalf of the CalArts School of Dance to foster international relationships and exchange opportunities with dance artists in Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru and Kolkata.

In spring 2023, Flagg joined the faculty of the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, where she currently teaches courses in House, Dancehall, Hip-Hop, Advanced Composition, and Colloquium. She has also created original repertory works for the Kaufman Repertory & Performance Showcase.

In addition to faculty appointments at UCLA (World Arts & Culture Department), CalArts School of Dance, Connecticut College, and USC Kaufman, she has served as a guest artist for the dance departments of Loyola Marymount University (LMU), University of Virginia (Charlottesville), and Bennington College (Vermont). She has worked with such artists as Prince, Tina Turner, Bette Midler, Stevie Wonder, Beyoncé, Will Smith, Chris Brown, Solange, and J Balvin. Her choreography has been featured on The Grammy Awards, The TV Land Awards, the 2015 Special Olympics Opening Ceremonies (ABC/ESPN), Gabby’s Dollhouse Dance DVD (Dreamworks/NBC), as well as at Jacob’s Pillow and NYC’s Flight Path Dance Company. Her television appearances include The Academy Awards, The Today Show, MTV’s TRL, and Good Morning America. In Summer of 2021, Flagg appeared in the documentary film AILEY by award-winning director Jamila Wignot, which was released in theaters nationwide after its premiere at Sundance Film Festival.

Beyond academia, Flagg continues to expand her practice as a dancer, choreographer, and pedagogue, while serving as a guest artist for organizations such as CLI Studios, L.A. Dance Project, and the Center of Creative Arts (COCA) in St. Louis. In summer 2026, Nina served as one of five Artist Faculty for the launch of Jacob’s Pillow’s Dance as Social Transformation: Kinetic Visioning program. The two-week teaching residency offered studies in Hip-Hop, Street, and Club Dance traditions through somatic practice, open-forum discussion, and composition.

As a BIPOC Artist and Educator, she remains passionate about creating curricular strategies for equitable, multigenerational engagement in dance education and live performance.