Professional Leaders
Meet Your Instructors
Balance Retreat for Dancers is guided by a small, intentional team of instructors who are deeply rooted in both the physical and emotional experiences of dancers. Each instructor brings a unique perspective while sharing a common commitment to creating a supportive, inclusive space where dancers feel seen, respected, and encouraged. Together, they help shape a weekend centered on balance, presence, and meaningful connection.
Nikki Kiger
Founder | Physical Therapist | Yoga Instructor
Nikki Kiger is the founder of Balance Retreat, a transformative experience designed to support dancers in cultivating balance of mind, body, and spirit. With over 26 years of experience as a pediatric physical therapist and more than a decade as a 200-hour registered yoga teacher, Nikki brings a unique blend of clinical expertise, mindful movement, and heartfelt compassion to everything she does.
Four years ago, Nikki began leading a specialized group at her daughter’s dance studio, integrating physical awareness, mindfulness, and emotional well-being into the dance world. The powerful and positive response she witnessed in the dancers- greater confidence, improved self-awareness, and deeper connection to themselves – sparked a larger vision.
Inspired by the impact of these classes, Nikki partnered with professional dancers actively working in the industry to expand her vision beyond the studio. Together, they created Balance Retreat as an immersive weekend experience for dancers beyond her local community. Her mission is to equip dancers with tools to feel grounded, stay true to who they are, and cultivate genuine balance – both on and off the dance floor.
Nikki is married and the proud mother of two teenagers. She is deeply passionate about helping others become the best version of themselves and believes that true success begins with balance from within.
Peyton Florence
Professional Dancer & Choreographer | Dance Instructor
Peyton Florence is a 20-year-old from the small town of Shadyside, Ohio. For 14 years, Peyton competitively trained at TURN IT OUT Dance Academy under the direction of Mandy Doyle and Lacey Booth. She has also served as a teacher and choreographer at TIO for the past seven years. Throughout her competitive years, Peyton has had the honor of being recognized regionally and nationally on several stages. Her most notable accomplishments include being crowned Junior Miss Dance of Ohio 2018, Miss Dance of Ohio 2022, and Miss Dance of America 2023. Beyond the competition stage, Peyton has gained experience through Point Park University’s International Summer Dance and Choreography Collective programs, The Industry Dance Awards, World of Dance Finals, Deviate Dance, Radio City Music Hall, Royal Caribbean Entertainment, and more. Most recently, Peyton completed a 12-month professional dance contract on Royal Caribbean’s largest ship, Icon of the Seas, where she performed in the show Aqua Action. Peyton is also traveling as an assistant for the 2026 Deviate Dance Break Through Tour. Beyond performing, teaching, and training, Peyton is a free spirit who enjoys practicing yoga, journaling, listening to music, and spending time with her family, friends, and nature.
Anna Miller
Professional Dancer & Choreographer | Dance Instructor
Anna Miller is a professional dancer, choreographer, and movement artist devoted to the integration of body, mind, spirit, and nervous system regulation. She graduated high school early to pursue her professional career and went on to compete on So You Think You Can Dance Season 17, where she placed in the Top 8. Through this experience, Anna worked closely with leading choreographers across television and the commercial dance industry, gaining firsthand insight into high-pressure creative environments and performance at the highest level.
While her technical training shaped her artistry, it was her inner work that transformed her relationship to dance. Navigating competition and television taught Anna that the only true point of control is perception—how one chooses to relate to sensation, thought, and emotion in each moment. She came to understand emotions not as obstacles, but as guidance systems—signals inviting awareness toward beliefs that may be out of alignment with one’s true nature.
Anna is a SHERPA-certified breathwork and cold exposure facilitator, trained to guide individuals through intentional breathing practices and cold immersion with an emphasis on safety, presence, and nervous system regulation. She approaches cold exposure not as a practice of endurance or “getting better at the cold,” but as a way of learning how to meet intensity with awareness. The sensation of entering cold water mirrors moments of stress and anxiety in daily life—unexpected challenges, pressure, or uncertainty—and offers an opportunity to practice staying present, regulated, and self-trusting within sensation.
Her work is influenced by Bashar’s teachings on alignment and belief systems, Ram Dass’ philosophy of presence, Kundalini meditation, and holistic approaches to health and wellbeing. Anna views movement, breath, and stillness as interconnected pathways—tools for transforming fear into feedback, emotional intensity into information, and challenge into conscious growth.
Beyond the studio, Anna lives a consciously aligned lifestyle rooted in simplicity, clean living, and intentional choice—from nourishing food and natural remedies to mindful daily rhythms. She believes balance is not something to achieve, but something to allow through self-honesty, alignment, and listening to the intelligence of the body.
Through movement, breath, and lived example, Anna supports others in reconnecting with their bodies, regulating their nervous systems, and remembering their innate capacity for clarity, creativity, and inner stability—both on and off the dance floor.
Payton Nickerson
Professional Dancer & Choreographer | Dance Instructor
Payton Nickerson is a passionate performer, instructor, and choreographer from the small town of Wheeling, West Virginia. She began dancing at the age of two at Turn It Out Dance Academy in Bellaire, Ohio, under the direction of Mandy Doyle and Lacey Booth.
Beyond her home studio, Payton’s dance education extends to numerous regional and national conventions and programs, including The Choreography Collective at Point Park University, The Launch Program in Los Angeles, The Industry Dance Awards, World of Dance Finals, and more. Payton is also graduate of Wheeling Park High School.
A longtime competitor of Ohio Dance Masters, Payton has attended for over 12 years and earned an outstanding series of titles: Petite Miss Dance of Ohio 2015, Junior Miss Dance of Ohio 2017, Teen Miss Dance of Ohio 2020, and Miss Dance of Ohio 2023. These accomplishments led her to compete at Dance Masters of America, where she was awarded 1st Runner-Up Petite Miss Dance of America 2016, Junior Miss Dance of America 2018, Teen Miss Dance of America 2021, and, Miss Dance of America 2024.
In addition to her DMA achievements, Payton was crowned OVAC Queen of Queens 2023 and has earned countless top 1st overall placements both regionally and nationally throughout her competitive career.
Most recently, Payton completed her first professional contract with Royal Caribbean International aboard the Icon of the Seas, where she performed in “Aqua Action” for 12 months. This opportunity allowed her to travel throughout the Eastern and Western Caribbean, sharing her love for performance with new audiences each week. She has also recently joined Wonder of the Seas, in their performance of “inTENse” the Aqua show. Payton is grateful for every opportunity she is given to perform for an audience.
Payton has toured nationwide with Showbiz National Talent, working behind the scenes as a backstage manager and merchandise representative. With experience in social media marketing, she’s passionate about supporting every part of the production and stepping in wherever she can make a difference.
With over seven years of teaching experience, Payton has traveled nationwide as a guest instructor, choreographer, and adjudicator, working with dancers across all ages and levels. Her choreography has received top honors and multiple choreography awards. Payton has had the joy of working with children with special needs, helping them explore movement, breathwork, and the art of dance in a supportive and creative environment.
Above all, Payton is deeply passionate about teaching—she finds true fulfillment in inspiring the next generation of dancers, helping them grow in both artistry and confidence through her love for the art form.
The content within the Balance Program has supported me through most of my dance career. It’s helped me manage stress, stay mindful, and remain grounded in my body—even during the most demanding seasons of my life.
These practices have helped me understand who I am as a human being, which has deeply enriched my artistry. They’ve guided me through major transitions, giving me the space to reconnect with myself and find clarity when everything around me was shifting. The program has taught me to find joy in the constant challenges and changes that come with being a performer, and it’s become my go-to way of returning to my truest self in those moments.
The Balance Program has truly shaped the way I move, think, and show up in both my career and my life. I’m deeply grateful for everything it has helped me—and continues to help me—uncover within myself.
The Balance experience supported me in a way that reached far beyond dance. Through movement, breathwork, meditation, and nervous system awareness, I learned how to stay present within intensity rather than trying to escape it or push through it.
As a dancer who has worked in high-pressure environments—from competition to television—I learned that stress doesn’t come from external circumstances, but from how we relate to them internally. Balance helped me embody the understanding that emotions—especially fear and anxiety—are not signs of failure, but invitations to pay attention. They point toward beliefs that may no longer be in alignment with who we truly are.
My work with breath and cold exposure reinforced this truth. Cold immersion isn’t about becoming “good” at being in cold water—it’s about becoming more skillful at meeting life. The sensation of entering the cold feels remarkably similar to moments of stress or anxiety in everyday life—when something unexpected happens, when pressure arises, when the nervous system reacts. Practicing presence in the cold taught me how to stay with sensation, breathe through intensity, and remain grounded instead of resisting what is.
The Balance practices reminded me that regulation isn’t about control—it’s about relationship. When I listen to my body and allow sensation without judgment, clarity naturally follows. My movement became more honest, my nervous system more resilient, and my relationship to life more trusting.
These tools feel like permission slips—gentle reminders that presence, softness, and self-awareness are strengths. Balance has reshaped how I move through dance, relationships, and daily life, and has become an essential part of how I stay regulated, aligned, and open to growth.
Finding balance in my day-to-day routine has truly changed my life. Taking the time to pause, breathe, and appreciate the little things has brought me a sense of peace and comfort I didn’t know I was missing. Learning to slow down and be present, on and off the dance floor. I’m incredibly grateful for the practices I’ve learned—they’ve made a lasting impact on both my mindset and my daily life. Through physically demanding training and intentional moments of stillness, I learned how to find true balance. These practices have made me a stronger, more grounded dancer and person, both in the studio and in everyday life.