Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Halle Henry. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Halle , thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
Resilience has always been a part of my nature growing up as a young child into a new young adult. A big part of that is due to my family, specifically my brother. He has overcome some of the hardest challenges life can throw at you and continues to find the best parts of life even through all of the chaos. He is seven years older than me, making himself the idol I didn’t know I would even have needed until my adulthood, facing challenges that remind me of his resilience and thinking how would he handle this. Another big influence in my life that taught me this time with no choice but to be resilient is my back injury when I was 13 years old. In the seventh grade, I fractured my L4 vertebrae while dancing and the doctors and my family thought it was the end for me. I remember my orthopedic telling me that if I waited one more month to come in, there was a high chance I would have been paralyzed. God was definitely on my side with this one, making sure that I got looked at when I did. With that being said, I was out of the field dancing for 8 months, confined to a back brace every day. It was one of the hardest years I have ever dealt with. Feeling like the major joy and happiness that is my every day was getting stripped right from under me. No one, especially my family thought that I would have made it this far with the injury I’m still battling. However for me, I knew that I had no choice but to figure this out and do what I needed to do (PT, medications, braces) to be able to live out my passion, I couldn’t afford to say bye to something that I felt called for. Now I look back and am so grateful for the resilience I instilled in myself because I am so blessed to be where I am today, still living out my dreams despite the bumps in the road.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Born and raised in Sarasota Florida, I have always been seen as the one to have big dreams in a small city. I knew that I wanted to be a professional dancer and actress at the age of 15 and was going to do everything I had to do to make that happen. We didn’t have much in terms of training and exposure where I’m from, but I did have the resources/knowledge on how to get to LA and start my journey. I graduated a year early from high school along with obtaining my AA degree at the same time. That in itself was enough to show my parents how badly I wanted this. Next thing you know, I’m 17 years old living on my own in the big city, trying to make ends meet while balancing online school for my bachelor’s degree. By God’s grace, I am 23 years old now, working professionally for six years and I am so beyond grateful. Working in this industry has opened new doors for me that I didn’t expect. Choreographing and teaching have become a big part of my life now and is a big fuel to my fire. Dance brings me most of my joys in life but I am also passionate about a lot of other things such as acting, directing, animals, and helping adolescent youth. What really sparked my joy for kids was a nonprofit that I organized in 2018 called “Dance for Books” where I brought in some of my very talented dancer friends who taught two days’ worth of classes at our local home studio and raised over $2000 to buy new supplies for kids in underprivileged schools. After seeing the amount of success the fundraiser had and the joy it brought to the kids, I knew this was one of my callings. From there, I switched my major from Physical Therapy to adolescent psychology where I hope to one day integrate dance and helping children all within the same organization.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Three qualities that I have learned to be the most helpful in my journey thus far would be -Using your voice
-Always remain a student
-Allow self-exploration
Learning how to use your voice was a big step for me growing up in this industry. I was never a “shy” person, but I always feared rejection from the ones I looked up to or even from my own peers sometimes. It wasn’t until I actually started working that I realized how much of a necessity speaking up would be. If something doesn’t feel right, don’t brush it off- it most likely is your intuition telling you something and one day you are going to have to use your voice and fight for what is right. Getting older in this industry or even the world period, you realize no one is going to have your back like you have your own. With that being said, you must be your own advocate. Using your voice also doesn’t only have to be in a negative context. Learning to speak up has gotten me into rooms that I may not have been in if I didn’t reach out or ask. A piece of advice that I would give would be that sometimes you have to bet on yourself and show people why you are meant to be there. Don’t be afraid to take risks and ask for help. That is how the “greats” got to be considered great.
Always remaining a student is pretty self-explanatory. Never stop learning. That is a mindset that has really helped me get to the level I am at both physically and mentally. From a dance perspective, I always advise people to get into classes they are uncomfortable in. Chances are, those new skills will carry you through experiences you didn’t even know were coming your way. You can also find out so many new things about yourself when you are in student mode and even unlock a new passion that you didn’t know you had. Take bits and pieces from everyday life experiences and learn from them. When you’re the best in the room, go to an even better room and grow from the people around you. In any field you are in, there is always more knowledge to be received and it can only make you better. I also want to touch on the importance of being a student mentally as well. Talking to new people with different backgrounds and experiences can give you a lot of insight and new perspectives on life, as well as reading/journaling which I find so important! In any industry, you’re going to have your challenges and when you are stronger mentally, you can carry yourself through these hardships in a healthier way.
Self-exploration is one of my favorite concepts to talk about and reflect on because it’s really you tapping into your deepest parts of yourself and allowing the universe to attract what’s really for you. I see so many people chasing after what they THINK they should be doing, people they should be hanging out with, and jobs they should be booking. Most of the time these goals and wants come from outside sources such as social media, influencers in their industry, etc. but half of the time we forget to ask ourselves what we actually want. Self-exploration through art, conversations, meditation, journaling, whatever the case may be can only shine light on parts of you that want to be seen/heard. It is easy to get caught up on what everyone else wants or thinks is the “cool” and lose sight of asking, does this actually resonate with me? Because what is for you will NEVER miss you. And by self-exploration, you can only open more doors to allow new blessings into your life. Also, don’t let anyone ever put you in a box! Find yourself and show that you are made with many layers that you continue to explore and tap into.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I am always looking to collaborate with new people and energy. I love art in all forms and am curious to see other avenues dance can take me in. Of course, I would love to work with other dancers on projects, choreography, concepts, etc but I would also love to collaborate on directing and acting. The film world is new to me other than being on the dancer side of things, so getting to explore from a directing or even acting perspective would be a huge step in experience for me. I also would love to connect with anyone involved in outreach programs for kids or facilities that are looking for art therapy. I would feel very fulfilled connecting my two passions dance and kids to make a difference. If you are interested in working together or want to know more about my experience/ resume please feel free to send me an email at Hallehenry09@gmail.com and check out my Instagram @Halle_henryyy.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Halle_henryyy
Image Credits
@yungceophoto (black and white photo)
