Nada M. Diachenko

1946 - 2022

On March 14, 2022 Nada Maria Diachenko took her final bow and exited this mortal stage. She was born July 31, 1946 in Miami, FL to Boris and Julia Diachenko, but very quickly moved to Odenton, Maryland where she grew up. She attended Arundel High School, then the ballet program at Butler University, ultimately graduating from the modern dance program at the University of Maryland. She later earned her master's degree from New York University. She was always a dancer. She began her studies at age 7 and started her professional career at 16 with the Baltimore Civic Opera Ballet. After college graduation, she and several friends went to Cold War-era West Berlin, Germany and formed the Berlin Dance Ensemble, teaching and performing throughout West Berlin and West Germany. Upon returning to the United States, she moved to New York City, where she continued her dance studies with some of the iconic figures of modern dance, including Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham and Erick Hawkins. It was at the Hawkins studio where she met the love of her life and future husband, Whit Carman. She was a soloist with the Erick Hawkins Dance Company for eight years in the 1970s as well as being a founding member of the Greenhouse Dance Ensemble, one of the first collaborative dance companies in the nation. She was also the principal of Nada Diachenko and Dancers and Nada Diachenko Solo Dance. Throughout her New York days she taught; at the Hawkins studio, independently and at New York University. She began her study of various somatic (mind/body) disciplines (with many of the seminal figures in the field) which continued for the rest of life. In addition, she became a Certified Muscular Therapist and had a private practice for many years. In 1988 she and Whit moved to Boulder for Nada to begin a two-year temporary position in the Dance Program at the University of Colorado. After the first year, she was asked to become the Director of the Dance Program in the Department of Theatre and Dance, a position she ultimately held for 12 years. During her time as Director, she greatly expanded the program's offerings. She established the longest running outreach program at the University, created the somatic and aerial tracks and the dance wellness program within the department, among many other innovations. She chaired the Roser Visiting Artist Endowment committee for 20 years. In 1999 Nada completed a three-year program and became a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique. In addition to running her own private practice, she created courses in the technique as part of the dance program. Her fusion of dance and Alexander Technique has led to workshop presentations at several national and international Alexander Technique conferences, residencies around the United States and in foreign countries such as Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, Denmark, and Brazil. Nada's creative work spans decades, from the early 1970s through 2019. Her choreography included ensemble and solo work, covering themes as varied as humor, the celebration of the natural world, deeply personal journeys, and purely abstract movement. She loved working with live music and made that part of her creations as often as possible. In 2018 Nada was honored as a Legend of Dance by The Dance Archive. She retired from the Dance Program in 2020 but carried on her Alexander Technique practice until her death. For all of her activities, studies, and accomplishments, Nada was most proud of and dedicated to her family. She and Whit were married for 42 years and their greatest collaboration was their son, Charlie. She was all in on providing him the richest experiences and education. She was equally in on supporting him as he made his choices on his path in life. So many of the elements she incorporated into her teaching began as personal investigations into improving her health and fitness. She was a great proponent of alternative approaches to health and healing and of preventive practices to avoid injury and misuse. She loved the beach. She and Whit tried to arrange a trip to one beach or another every summer. She could listen to the surf and the wind in the palm trees for hours at a time. She is survived by her husband, Whit Carman, her son Charles Carman (Heather), brother Gregory Diachenko (Carol), brother-in-law Richard Carman (Renee), sister-cousin, Vera Karelian; and a whole passel of nieces, nephews and cousins. There will be a memorial service for Nada on Saturday, May 7, 2022 in the Charlotte York Irey Theatre in the Theatre and Dance building on the University of Colorado campus. Contributions in her honor can be made to the GRID (Graduate Research in Dance) fund at the University of Colorado.