MEET THE DIRECTOR:
Nina Madsen Puckett
RSME/T, CMA, LMT, BFA
Nina Madsen Puckett is a dancer, choreographer, licensed massage therapist and educator in Oklahoma. Originally from NJ, she relocated to Oklahoma from Brooklyn, NY in 2009. In addition to being the founder and director of Madsen Movement, she is the proud owner of Madsen Massage, LLC where she employs 10 therapists, is on the Executive Corp Team for Oklahoma Performing Arts and on the Creative Team for Oklahoma Movement.
Nina is a Registered Somatic Movement Therapist and Educator, having received her registration in Somatic Movement Therapy through The International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association (ISMETA). She is also a Certified Movement Analyst, having received her education and certificate from the yearlong program at the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies in NYC in 2006.
She graduated cum laude from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a BFA in Dance: Choreography and Performance in 2005 and an Associates of Occupational Studies in 2008 from the Swedish Institute College of Health Sciences Massage Therapy Program in NYC. She also studied dance for two semesters abroad at arts conservatories that include the Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) at Edith Cowan University in Perth, Australia and Teatterikorkeakoulu (The Theatre Academy of Finland) in Helsinki in 2003 and 2004.
Nina is the founder of Erase the Stigma Through Dance, now the advocacy program of Oklahoma Movement ,that originally began as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with the mission of engaging communities in mental health awareness by fusing mental illness advocacy and education with the art of dance through classes, events and yearly symposiums. In 2022, she presented “Changing Perceptions by Moving Minds: A Mental Health and Dance Symposium,” at the Tulsa Ballet, which featured keynoter, Guggenheim Fellow, and dance icon, Bill Evans. With Oklahoma Movement, her latest project included teaching somatic movement to Women in Recovery, a division of Family and Children’s Services in Tulsa. She has appeared on various podcasts and interviews advocating for mental health awareness including the Delaware Dance Education Organization, The Dance Better Podcast, DIY Dancer in partnership with Okay Let’s Unpack This and the YouTube Channel, “Move for a Movement.”
Nina danced professionally in NYC from 2006-2009 with Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre and was a teaching artist for Notes in Motion: Outreach Dance Theatre. She was a dance company member of the John Gamble Dance Theatre in NC from 2004-2005. Nina was a dancer and actor with “Unto These Hills” Outdoor Drama in the summer of 2005 in Cherokee, NC. She is also the Co-Founder of Tulsa Modern Movement (TUMM). As a choreographer, Nina has presented her work internationally in Western Australia and nationally in New York City, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Oklahoma.
In a 2002 review of the American Dance Festival, dance critic, Byron Woods, wrote “the unforgettable flex of Ursula Payne’s student, Nina Madsen, reminiscent of Gretchen Lothrop’s work.”
Artistic Statement
To dance is to move with intention, and this is why I see movement and dance as being synonymous with each other.
The majority of our communication with the world is nonverbal. When someone moves, the inner workings of the mind and outer experiences of both the mover and the viewer crystallize.
One of my main goals is to guide and empower movers to achieve a deeper mind-body connection, inspire movement investigation and discovery, and develop their own unique, personal artistry, through the art of movement and dance, that support maximum physical function and artistic expression.
I am passionate about educating movers on becoming sensitive to and aware of their current movement habits and patterns, and teach them to develop new, healthier ways of moving, so they can evolve through movement, as they do in life.
I seek to educate movers on the numerous benefits of somatic movement concepts, explorations and functional exercises through the lenses of Laban Movement Analysis (LMA), Bartenieff Fundamentals, Contemporary Release-Based Modern Dance, additional Post-Modern Dance Techniques, and basic principles of Anatomy, Physiology, Myology and Kinesiology.
My dream is to cultivate a community and create an environment in which movers can experience the many mental, emotional and physical benefits of movement and dance in a safe, positive, supportive and nurturing environment.
Core Values
1. Honoring movement and dance as an authentic expression of the evolving self.
2. Developing one's own unique, personal artistry through exploration and discovery.
3. Celebrating the individual's personal expansion.
4. Cultivating an empathetic community of movers in a positive, safe, nonjudgmental and nurturing environment.