Conversations with Hannah Pink

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Pink.

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 backstories with our readers. 
My journey with dance started when I was 7 years old. I began at a recreational studio where I trained in hip-hop, jazz, lyrical, ballet, and tap. Looking back, those years set me up foundationally within dance but also with an understanding of how to dance in a unit and team. My perspective of dance really changed when I went to Justin Timberlake’s tour in 2014, “The 20/20 Experience.” That night I watched the dancers the entire time and clearly remember saying “that is what I want to do for the rest of my life.” Here I am 10 years later, still feeling that same way. 

After having that revelation, I moved to a more competitive studio that started to prepare me for the industry, and had access to teachers from the LA scene. I grew immensely in those few years and ended up graduating high school a year early, got signed with an agency, and moved to LA. 

As most do, I dove heavily into taking classes, auditioning, networking, and all those things. Once the pandemic hit, I realized how burnt out I was. I ended up moving back to OC for a few years to live life and find who I was without “dance” being my only identity. As dance classes became available again, I could feel myself having the itch to be back in LA. I drove here (at primetime traffic for 2 hours) 2-4x/week for over a year until I finally realized it was time for me to come back. 

LA 2.0 (as I like to call it) has been a MUCH different experience. Dance is my calling, first love, and my joy again. I find myself learning more about my artistry every day, whether I am freestyling/choreographing in the studio by myself, sessions with friends, taking class, going to a museum, watching footage of tours and music videos, or just getting out in nature and seeing where that leads me. Even though I have years under my belt of dancing, I feel like this is just the beginning of the new chapter that is to come 🙂 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road to where I am at now hasn’t always been smooth. There have been lots of question marks, confusion, comparison, and everything in between. I even pursued a different career and worked a 9-5 job for a while, but anytime I tried something other than dance, it always brought me back to it. 

Comparison (the thief of joy) is easily one of the biggest struggles for myself and any dancer. I would study the career and trajectory of others to see what did and didn’t work for them, but this would turn into doubting if I was ever going to make it. Thankfully, God and a mentor of mine have led me to see that my story is unfolding exactly the way it is meant to be. 

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I would describe myself as a chameleon within dance. Over the years, I have spent time training in the technical and street-style worlds. When I am dancing freely, my movement pulls from all the different vocabularies I have learned over the years. 

Music is really at the forefront of my life right now, and I am letting that guide me. I have been enjoying everything from 90s hip hop and amapiano to jazz and alternative music. Depending on which genre of music I am leaning into most, that informs what parts of myself I want to pull from as I create more of my own work. 

An element that I also think sets me apart is my ability to tell a story. Whether it’s within choreography or freestyle, I can get lost within a world whether I have experienced it in my own life or not. I can see that turning into acting in the near future, but for now, I explore that when I am dancing. 

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
If there is anything the last few years have taught me, it has been to pursue the thing(s) that make you light up! We live in a world where anything is possible and if the opportunity or position you want doesn’t exist, go create it. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannah.pinky/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@hannah.pinkyy

Image Credits
Andru Martinez
Alissa Roseborough