Nicolette Emanuelle

Nicolette Emanuelle is a multi-disciplinary performance artist based in St. Louis, MO. Their work spans circus arts, acting, producing, music performance, and music composition. Nicolette uses their diverse skill set to create meaningful, collaborative projects that explore identity, culture, and belonging. Their most recent project, What Are You?, is an exploration of racial identity, drawing from their experiences growing up as a Lumbee in the South. Nicolette began their artistic journey as a classically trained cellist and self-taught singer/songwriter, writing and performing piano-driven music often compared to Tori Amos and Nick Cave. Over time, they expanded their repertoire to include circus arts like clowning, stilt walking, and aerial performance. By combining elements from their varied artistic background, Nicolette creates productions that balance dark and whimsical visuals with absurdity and humor to address social justice themes. In addition to their personal projects, Nicolette contributes to other works through composition, teaching, and performance. They are always seeking collaborations in projects that promote social justice, especially at the intersections of race, gender and/or sexuality.