Joanna taught dance for over 30 years in this area starting her teaching career at the Belmont Recreation Department and then opening her own studio on Catawba St. in Belmont, NC, known as Dance Specialties. It is still in business today training scores of dancers under instruction from teachers Joanna taught herself.

Joanna had a lifelong passion for dance. She was a member of the Greensboro Civic Ballet and certified by Dance Masters of America and Carolina Dance Masters in 1976. She most recently taught at Dreamweavers Studio in Forest City, NC. Another very important accomplishment Joanna achieved through her love of dance is helping to form the Holy Angels Dance Troupe in 1984. They still perform today and in May of 2008 Holy Angels honored Joanna by renaming their 'Outstanding Volunteen Award", the "Joanna Nichols Volunteen of the Year Award".

Joanna expressed many times how her goal was not only to give the finest possible training in dance, but to also guide her students towards developing their minds and personalities through learning self discipline, responsibility, mental alertness and working with others, with the final results being a positive self image.

Joanna was diagnosed with cancer in October of 2004 and underwent many types of treatments in hopes of beating this deadly disease. She wore a star on one dance shoe to remind her dancers which foot was their right. On her hip, she wore a fanny pack containing a chemotherapy line connected to a port on her chest (both hidden from her dancers). On her face, she wore a smile...a smile that showed, to all who knew and loved her, that through the fight of her life, the dance would go on. Her Mantra???

              "Go for it! Life is

            not a dress rehearsal”