HADLEY KAUFMANN
Born and raised in Oakland, California, Hadley received her training from Oakland Ballet School and Contra Costa Ballet Centre. She has spent summers dancing in New York, Philadelphia and Prague. While attending UC Santa Barbara and receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Communication, she trained under Nilas Martins and Monique Meunier and performed works by Balanchine such as Concerto Barocco and Who Cares?. She spent her last semester of University living in Copenhagen where she continued her training at Tivoli Balletskole. Upon returning to the US, she danced with Peninsula Ballet Theatre and guested in OBT’s 2023 summer performance before joining the company for the 2023-24 season.
Q & A
FAVORITE ROLE PERFORMED WITH OBT?
Lead Flower in The Nutcracker
WHAT’S SOMETHING PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU?
Before I started ballet, I was an avid horseback rider!
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE EXERCISE TO DO IN CLASS?
Tendus and turns! Especially chaînes.
WHAT KEEPS YOU MOTIVATED?
My pure love for the art form keeps me going, and probably could longer than my body will allow. This career is so short, and there’s so much I want to achieve. I just feel so lucky every day that I get to dance.
Luna by Norbert De La Cruz III, Into Dust Photography