Nancy Meehan, a highly original choreographer and dancer whose evocative, plotless works on nature themes found a special place amid opposing trends in experimental dance after the 1960s, died on Nov. 23 in Manhattan. She was 85.

Her husband and only immediate survivor, the painter and architect Tony Candido, said the cause was pneumonia.

Ms. Meehan’s early mentors were Anna Halprin and Erick Hawkins, two very different innovators and pioneers of American modern dance. Ms. Halprin, who is still a potent influence on younger choreographers, repeatedly broke down traditional definitions of dance. Ms. Meehan performed with her company in San Francisco before coming to New York, where she joined the Erick Hawkins Dance Company.

A tall, striking dancer who combined sensuous grace with nuanced force, Ms. Meehan came to notice as a leading soloist in the Hawkins troupe from 1961 to 1970.