Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Hannah Barr of Downtown LA, Hollywood

We recently had the chance to connect with Hannah Barr and have shared our conversation below.

Hannah, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What is a normal day like for you right now?
Currently, I am in the midst of rehearsing for two ballet’s titled Concerto Barocco and La Source with American Contemporary Ballet, with whom I dance full time. I start my morning with company class (typically 1 -1.5 hours long) and then rehearse until 5/6pm each day. We open this show in the beginning of March at our DTLA venue, so we are still in the beginning stages of rehearsals after coming back from a 27 show-run of The Nutcracker. It was quite the marathon! Taking care of my body as a ballet dancer is like a part-time job as well. I also model and act when I am not rehearsing/performing with ACB.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a professional ballerina with American Contemporary Ballet. I have been dancing with ACB for almost 7 years now and it is my heart and soul. I have dedicated my life to becoming a ballet dancer, and to fulfill this goal with such a unique and inspiring company is a dream come true. American Contemporary Ballet is incredibly unique in how we present ballet to today’s audiences. We always perform with live musicians, we offer a wide range of repertoire (ranging from classical and Balanchine to Jazz and 80s inspired works), we have pre- and post- show receptions allowing the audience to mingle with the dancers, and we perform in an intimate theater setting which allows our audiences to truly understand the athleticism of the ballerinas. I have also been modeling for over 10 years, and this past year I have begun acting. Completing my first short film and full length movie, the latter in which I was cast as a ballerina, were exciting goals to accomplish.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
When I was a young girl, I believed that being tall was a bad thing. I was tall for my age- and I guess tall for a girl- and I wanted more than anything to be shorter. Before I joined a strict ballet school, I studied many types of dance. When it came time to perform, I was often placed in the back because I was tall. In two other ballet companies I was in before landing the job here with ACB, the directors did not promote me because I was taller than they preferred. Talk about something that is out of your control… I could not “work on” my height or change that about myself, and these setbacks were harmful to my confidence. It wasn’t until I was scouted for the 3rd time by modeling agencies that I started to change my negative belief about my height. Then, when I joined ACB, a company of generally taller women and where I felt at home, my negative self-views dwindled. A love of my height and of who I am finally began to blossom.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
We all suffered in some way or another during the pandemic. Part of my suffering during that time was not being able to continue with my career that has a fairly short time stamp, and at which I felt like I was currently in my prime for, such as any pro athlete I’m sure was feeling. I couldn’t rehearse, I couldn’t perform, I couldn’t tackle my dream roles, and I was losing the prime years of my life I had to do so. I had also been recovering from a broken foot right before the pandemic hit. As soon as I felt strong enough to dance, I was forced to stop again. This suffering taught me an incredible amount of resilience and persistence, something that success never could. I was so determined to keep doing what I loved, and to return to live performance with the company I loved stronger than before, whenever that day came. So I created a ballet studio in my apartment, complete with a barre I ordered online, mirrors, and Marley flooring that a fellow dancer and I drove for hours to pick up from a kind studio owner. I made myself take ballet class all alone in my apartment every week day, from compassionate teachers who were offering free classes online. And I wrote down every class that I took so I could keep myself accountable.
That literally sounds so crazy saying all of that out loud now… But it definitely helped me from going crazy during that dark time!

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
I think my closest friends would say that hard work matters over talent to me. They would also say that I place tremendous value in kindness- how you treat other people to their face, and how you advocate for them when they aren’t in the room, speaks volumes. They would also state that my morals, family, and self-respect matter a great deal to me.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
Investing!! It is not benefitting me right now, but will be key to my future financial success. It is so important to invest as early as possible, no matter how much, because at a younger age one can tolerate higher risk investments and changes in the stock market as they plan for retirement.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hannahfontainebarr.wixsite.com/hannah-barr
• Instagram: @balletbarr
• Other: https://www.acbdances.com/

Image Credits
Ric Berryman
Victor Demarchelier
Breana Isley
Jason Singarayer
Ethan Jones
Gerard Bebekian