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 (The Nutcracker)
DESCRIBE YOUR PERFECT DAY OFF
Relaxing in the hot tub/sauna, getting an iced vanilla latte, and spending time with my friends/family 🙂
WHAT’S SOMETHING PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU?
Before I started ballet, I was a horseback rider!
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE PLACES TO VISIT IN EDMONDS?
I love doing work at Red Twig Cafe.
WHAT ARE YOUR DANCE BAG MUST-HAVES?
Arnica and my green lacrosse ball. Everyone in the company knows this about me 😂 I am always using them to massage my calves and feet between combinations.
WHAT KEEPS YOU MOTIVATED?
I have had to face so many obstacles just to be able to dance. I think just reminding myself how far I have come, how much I love ballet, and how much there is that I still want to achieve.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE EXERCISE TO DO IN CLASS?
Tendus, ronde de jambes, piqué turns, and chaines! I have been trying to get myself to like adagio because it’s so beautiful and so good for you but I struggle with it so much 😆