We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Hannah Seiden a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hannah, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

When I look back at all I have done and accomplished, there are some of the coolest projects that have been dreams come true to me. Projects that I connected with so deeply, and carry with me today. But if I really have to reflect on what “meaningful” even means, I come back to a project I made last year for a dear family member of mine.

This family member first and foremost is one of the most incredible people you will ever meet. Intelligent, the BIGGEST heart, hilarious, empathetic, hard working, and resilient. And as so many, they also have their own demons. This person is an addict. They have extreme trauma that I cannot share, but enough that it would drive anyone to complete darkness. Yet they still are able to get out of the hole, even when they relapse. There was a moment where I went to go help this person, they were on a bender and alone. We took them to my parents house, and while we were on our way, a silly song was playing while I caught their reflection in the side view mirror. It was one of complete sadness, heartbreaking. The complete opposite of what we were hearing on the radio. A song that he himself put on, while inside he suffered. I vowed in that moment that it would be my project.

And so I set out to make a piece that represented that moment. It was about the mask we all put on, when we either want to avoid our trauma, or just get through it. A character that we aspire to be, even when we are not sober or happy or well. Where that person went to while that song played. Within the piece, I ask audience members to scream, howl, and laugh with me. I hold some of their hands and scream with them. It is a collective healing. Everyone needs to exorcise their demons, why not do it together?

Even with all the amazing gigs, working with dream artists, iconic stages and screens, this is the most meaningful. Because it not only allows me to heal, and others to do so with me, but it is dedicated to my family member. To show them that I really SEE them. I hear them. I am with them.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a dance artist and Pilates instructor based in New York City. I grew up watching my sister dance, and refused every time someone suggested I follow her onto the dance floor. One day I got over my fear, and the rest is history. After years growing up in Colorado and being a competitive dancer, I moved to New York to attend NYU Tisch School of the Arts and receive my Bachelor of Fine Arts. I freelanced for a decade, getting opportunities to dance around the States, Dubai, Montreal, Beijing, and Tel Aviv. During this time, I trained to be a Pilates instructor in order to make enough money to continue my dream. The past few years I began making my own work. After a few successful and fulfilling gigs, I wasn’t sure what was next. Partly half assed, not expecting anything, I auditioned for the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company. And what do you know, I booked my dream job!

I think what sets me apart is that I have never let the sometimes toxic worlds of dance and fitness ever change my identity. I show up everywhere with a smile, humility, the desire to build community, hard work, and laughter. With this, I think people can connect to the REAL me as a dancer and instructor. An honest and empathetic human. I call myself a hair stylist instructor, because I think making a personal connection with my clients is just as important as teaching them Pilates. And when I perform, I know that I get so lost in the movement, the feeling, the purpose, that people can disappear and connect to each moment. I invite them along the journey.

I am most proud of the above. Staying true to myself. I am surrounded by the most amazing colleagues, family, loved ones, clients. I think that says a lot of the community that I built. I am proud to help people get out of physical and emotional pain.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I will never deny my privilege. I grew up in a loving home, supportive family, good schools, and hot meals. What a lot of people don’t know about me is that there was also quite a lot of traumatic chaos within my life. Luckily I always had dance to turn to, it was my coping mechanism and I knew it would be consistently there for me. I think that having that resilience to a difficult home life, allowed me to find complex emotions within my performance that ultimately allowed me to connect to more audience members in an authentic way. After all, why do we love art? What does it to for us? It allows us to feel, to connect with our emotions, to escape. My resilience to the chaos was also an acceptance. To drive that chaos into a positive thing.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

PAY ARTISTS. Honestly, thats the beginning, middle, and end. Art is an essential part of our society, one that allows us to connect to each other, difficult subjects and emotions, and an escape from pain and trials and tribulations Art is a universal language. It brings us together. In a world at risk of this connection, we need artists. They are essential workers. PAY US

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @hbseiden

Image Credits

Stephanie Crousillat
Maria Baranova
Rebecca Marcela Oviatt/BECCAVISION