Born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah Cendese started dancing in 6^th grade with Children’s Dance Theatre and Tanner Dance. In 2002 he graduated from the University of Utah with a BFA in modern dance and joined Repertory Dance Theatre as dancer in where he performed professionally for eleven years. In 2013 he retired from performing and moved into the RDT offices first as an Artistic Associate and Administrative Assistant and, in 2018, as Development Director. In 2025, he took on the role of Executive/Artistic Co-Director of Repertory Dance Theater along with Lynne Larson and continues to serve the company as Director of Development. In addition to his work with RDT, Cendese ran his own independent dance company, RawMoves, from 2004-2012 with Natosha Washington and was proud to teach at Ms. Margene’s Creative Classroom in Taylorsville for 19 years. In 2016, Cendese and Barbara Lewis co-founded Music in Motion, a music and movement class for older adults that now holds five weekly classes around the Wasatch Front.  Nick was sole owner and director of South Valley Creative Dance in Sandy, Utah from 2012-2020 and in 2023 he and four amazing women took ownership of the studio and founded the Utah Creative Dance Foundation to promote and further the transformative power of creative and modern dance. He continues to teach, choreograph, mentor, and guide dancers of all ages around Utah.