These rare behind the scenes photographs from Star Trek: The Original Series capture Nichelle Nichols (as Lt. Uhura) practicing ballet moves on set while dressed in her iconic red Starfleet uniform. These images showcase her exceptional flexibility and form, including a notable penché.
Before her acting career, Nichols was a trained professional dancer and singer. She began ballet at age seven and studied at the Chicago Ballet Academy. At age 15, she was hired by Duke Ellington to choreograph and perform a ballet for his musical suites.
While filming Star Trek, she frequently used her downtime to maintain her dancing skills, even performing complex moves in the show’s signature mini-skirt and boots. While the show frequently showcased her singing (such as in “Charlie X” and “The Conscience of the King”), her dancing was rarely integrated into the plot of the original series.
“Many fans, even to this day, when meeting Nichelle Nichols are a little jolted that I am not Uhura,” the actress admitted. “I don’t act like Uhura. I have a totally different personality. So, I find people discovering that, and they act like they’re meeting a whole new character.”
Interestingly, her stage name “Nichelle” actually originated from her dance days, it was a nickname given to her because of the graceful way she performed pirouettes.
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