Nora Nash
Nora Mae Ivy Nash (born July 4, 1925 in Birmingham; died February 28, 2015 in Hoover) was the founder of Birmingham Dance Theatre and of Costume Creations.
Nora was the daughter of Charlie and Mae Ivy and grew up with four brothers in Ensley. She was inspired to become a dancer while attending Mickey Mouse Club events at the Alabama Theatre. She took tap lessons from Jack Saxon. After graduating from Ensley High School she began working for the L & N Railroad Co., where she met Horace Nash. They were married in 1946.
In 1962 Nash began teaching at Miss Beverly's Dance Studio in Midfield. Four years later she opened her own Nora Nash Dance Studio in Vinesville. She relocated the school to Central Park in 1974, and later to Park Place South in Vestavia Hills.
Nash's daughters, Joni and Sandy, grew up in the business and taught classes. Joni took over as proprietor of the dance studio in 1984 while Sandy took over the costume business in 2002.
Nash died in 2015 and is buried at Elmwood Cemetery. She was survived by four children, six grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. The Dance Masters South Eastern Chapter No. 33 offers a "Nora Nash Memorial Scholarship" in her honor.
References
- McAlister, Laura (May 15, 2012) "Dancing Through the Decades." Over the Mountain Journal
- "Nora I. Nash" obituary (March 2, 2015) The Birmingham News