Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Campanelli
Hi Hannah, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I always wanted to be a dancer. Before I had even taken a class, I was dancing around with my mom to Madonna on repeat. Once she put me into a dance class, it was game over and I was absolutely hooked. My parents always asked me “Are you sure you don’t want to try soccer? Or play the flute?” The answer was “Nope, I’d rather go to the studio.”
Since I was spending every single day in the studio, it wasn’t a surprise that I wanted to continue my dance training at the collegiate level. Going to school for dance ten years ago was not really something that seemed logical, at least in Rochester, NY. There was a stigma that you couldn’t make a living being an artist so to go to school for dance would be a waste. But when I moved to New York City (the place where all artists dream of living), I fell in love with dance even more and felt extremely motivated to be successful in this field.
College was where I fell in love with choreography and teaching. I started creating pieces for studios back home and presenting choreography in New York City. I felt that I was able to really connect with the dancers I was working with and became passionate about mentoring the next generation and being that role model and confidant that I felt I didn’t always have growing up in the dance world.
After college, I moved to sunny LA to continue my pursuit to be a professional dancer. I have gotten the opportunity to work with incredible choreographers and perform on many different stages. It has been amazing to prove everybody who doubted me and my career choice wrong. I am so inspired by all the different avenues you can take in this industry and am constantly motivated to have new and exciting goals! I developed a pre-professional intensive workshop called “Momentum” which mentors high school dancers to help prepare them for their dance life after they graduate, I am presenting work and choreographing all over the country, and I am of course dancing my way through life and following the dream that originated from dancing in my living room!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has definitely not been a smooth road to get to where I am today, although looking back I am grateful for all of those bumps along the way because I really think every single one was a lesson I needed to learn.
Growing up, many people didn’t understand the time and energy I spent dancing. In high school, I had many teachers that were confused about why I was missing class to attend a convention out of town. I basically homeschooled myself in order to balance my rigorous dance schedule and AP classes. Some people in school even called me a “unicorn” because it was a rarity to see me in person. It was difficult because I didn’t have a normal high school life. I couldn’t go to football games or school dances or have sleepovers or go on class trips. I felt isolated and misunderstood a lot of the time, but luckily had a great group of friends that supported me along the way.
Dance, and any art form, can be really hard on your self-confidence. You are staring at yourself all day in the mirror looking for imperfections. “Is my knee straight enough? Is my turn out okay on my supporting leg? Are my arms engaged?” It can be exhausting and also hard to step away from that desire for perfection in your non-dance life. I think my biggest struggle has been growing my confidence and working on my mindset to make sure it’s positive
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
When it comes to performing and choreographing, I would say that what sets me apart is my story telling. My students always laugh at me when I am choreographing because I need to create a super elaborate story line in order for the piece to make sense in my head whether it be vampires taking over or a ghost coming to haunt someone. To me, dance is a way for me to share what is in my heart in a way that is maybe difficult to express into words. I love to dive deep into a character or to pick a situation in my real life that I need to work through and put it into my dancing. To me, that is what makes dance an art form; the story, the emotion, the humanity. I love connecting with people, whether it be dancers I am choreographing on or an audience watching my work.
I am most proud of a piece that I presented and danced in during a show in LA called “Reconstruct Exhibition.” It was a jazz piece, which is my favorite style, and to me it just portrayed everything I love about this art form; strength, confidence, power. It was one of the first times when a dance I envisioned in my head came out exactly how I pictured it. From the costumes, to the lighting, to the dancers I had casted. It was also one of the only times where I was able to dance onstage and feel fully in control and powerful. It was a magical moment for me as a dancer and a choreographer!
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
What has worked well for me is following your gut regarding who you connect with. You know deep down whose energy matches yours and who you are going to vibe best with. For me, I can immediately tell when someone will be invested in me and looking to connect on that more personal mentorship level.
For me, my most impactful mentor has been my life coach. It was somebody that just came up on Instagram from someone else that I had followed and something just drew me to everything that she had to say about being a performer. Because she herself is a performer, she’s able to really connect with what I’m going through and give me extremely helpful advice regarding my career but also myself as a human. My other piece of advice would be to look for someone who you feel comfortable opening up to in a way that you can really make progress and feel good about the journey you are on!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannahcampchoreo/ and https://www.instagram.com/campihan16/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@hannahcampanelli9218
Image Credits
Sarah Dean
Kaine Hel
Alissa Roseborough
