Jim Nowakowski dances with the conviction of a true artist. "It was my destiny," he says. "I was born to be a dancer." As a member of the Rochester City Ballet, Jim is well-known among local audiences. But his artistry is getting nationwide recognition as well. Out of thousands of applicants, he won the $10,000 Gold Award in Dance from the National Foundation for the Advancement in the Arts. And he's been nominated as a Presidential Scholar. If he wins, he'll dance for the President at the Kennedy Center. Jim says, "It's an indescribable feeling. I can say that for any dancer, including me, once you hit the stage and the lights, it's just a huge adrenalin rush." His teachers at the Rochester City Ballet say Jim is magnificently gifted. "I see him having a long career in dance," says Jamey Leverett, Artistic Director of the Draper Center for Dance Education. "I hope he gets into a company that is an international dance company that travels throughout the world. He is that gifted that the world should see him perform." "I just want to dance until I can't anymore, and then I want to judge competitions, and choreograph and teach and share with students what I was taught, and share my experience with others," says Jim. He will take part this summer in an international competition in Shanghai China. A dedicated performer, Jim is well on his way to dancing around the world!
