He/Him

Nicolas Pacholok began his dance education at the Shumka School of Dance and upon graduation he was offered an apprenticeship with the Ukrainian Shumka Dancers. Since then, Nicolas’ dance career with Shumka has included performances across Canada and the United States, dancing various roles in Shumka’s productions of Kobzar, Nutcracker, Ancestors & Elders, Mosquito’s Wedding, Echoes of Hopak, and UKRAINKA. In the fall of 2024, Nicolas was part of an ensemble of Shumka dancers that accompanied the National Ballet of Ukraine on their 16-city Nadiya Ukraine tour across the eastern United States, including performances at Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Centre and New York City Center.

In January of 2025, Nicolas began attending the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City, where he studies classical and contemporary ballet, as well as performs as a member of the Joffrey Concert Group. Since joining the program, Nicolas has performed numerous classical and contemporary works including those by Gerald Arpino, Ohad Naharin, and Shahar Binyamini.

In the summer of 2025, Nicolas was invited as a soloist to perform “Ostap’s Variation” from the ballet Taras Bulba at the Youth America Grand Prix’s “Stars of Today Meet the Stars of Tomorrow” galas in Como and Milan, Italy.

Having performed in Shumka’s Nutcracker in each iteration since 2016, Nicolas is thrilled to return to the production this season, this time for his debut as the Nutcracker Prince. Nicolas has enjoyed the process of working closely with choreographer Viktor Lytvynov to bring the character to life in new ways never before seen in Shumka’s Nutcracker. By building upon the nuanced emotional framework inherent to the role and combining it with the signature Shumka flair that audiences enjoy, Nicolas hopes to help make this Nutcracker Shumka’s best yet.