Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Pritchett.
Hannah, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was put into a ballet class at the age of three because I was a rambunctious child! I would constantly bump into furniture (I still have a scar on my eyebrow to prove this!) from twirling around the house, and my parents decided ballet would be a great fit. I actually grew up in Atsugi, a naval base in Japan, so I received my childhood ballet training from Kitajima Ballet. Fast forward a few years and my love for ballet only continued to grow.
We relocated to San Diego in 2005 when my dad was re-stationed, and I was exposed to other styles of dance for the first time. I continued my ballet training throughout San Diego the next few years and discovered an entirely new world of movement when I enrolled at San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) as a freshman in high school in 2010. I credit SCPA for changing my perspective on dance and for molding me into the person and dancer I am today.
I trained in styles of dance that I haven’t trained in previously but grew to love especially modern and contemporary dance. I thank Erin O’Connor Fetters, Ellen Warkentien, Sandra Foster-King, Aida Anderson, Cynthia Morales, and Andrea Lemaitre for the training and the skills they have taught me and for their constant support through the years. I also thank artistic director Richard Truijilo for his constant encouragement!
It was at SCPA that I had opportunities to dance works by and to personally work with Donald McKayle, Christopher Huggins, and Tong Wang as well dance the work of Jose Limon, Fred Benjamin, and Anna Sokolow. The first video I saw as a freshman at SCPA was of Mr. McKayle’s “Rainbow Round My Shoulder,” and I remember wishing, praying, and hoping that one day I will be able to dance his work. Ironically, the last thing I danced as a senior at SCPA in 2014 was the female solo from “Rainbow.”
I took a brief break from dance after graduating high school and during my first year of college to recover from ankle surgery, and it also was the peak of my depression. I convinced myself I was done with dance for a while until a friend of mine, Aisha Reddick, asked me to dance for her piece in San Diego Dance Theater’s Young Choreographers Showcase and Prize in 2016.
I danced alongside A’lona Carter (we all graduated from the same class as dance majors at SCPA!) in a duet titled “Contra” and found my love for dance as well as two lifelong friends through this process. I ended up winning the award of “Best Dancer” at the showcase, and that encouraged me to attend the summer intensive at San Diego Dance Theater a few months after that. I began to find myself once again, and I credit dance and my support system of friends, family, and teachers fully for that.
My time at SCPA exposed me to a world of companies and choreographers that I wanted to work for. I got to dance “Enemy Behind the Gates” by Christopher Huggins my junior year, and we learned some of the material off of videos of Philadelphia Dance Company, also known as, Phildanco. I loved the movement itself, but the way the dancers transformed the space around them was unlike anything I had seen.
I decided to audition for Philadelphia Dance Company (Philadanco!) in the winter of 2016 and ended up getting accepted to join as a member of their second company, D/2, starting in January 2017. I spent a season as a second company member and moved back to San Diego towards the end of the year. I learned so much in Philadelphia and cherished the experiences and memories dearly.
When I moved back to San Diego, I felt something was missing so I gave choreography ago and ended up as a finalist in SDDT’s Young Choreographers Showcase 2018. I wanted to use movement to communicate what I could not communicate with words or writing and decided to create a piece for seven dancers and I. Our work won “Audience Favorite,” and I felt a spark ignite in my soul. I needed to communicate through movement whether my movement was understood or not and I realized that through this experience.
We are almost caught up, I promise! So let’s fast forward to October 2018! At this time, I was taking a class here and there and focusing on creating small pieces of choreography as an outlet for myself, so it came as a shock Jean Isaacs contacted me to offer me a position as a dancer with San Diego Dance Theater. All I have wanted since the age of six was to be a company dancer to be able to call myself a company dancer and Jean made that dream a reality for me.
Since then, I have made my debut with the company in Janus III (January 2019,) presented work in YCS 2019 as well as won “Best Dancer” (March 2019,) and currently am rehearsing with Jean Isaacs and Terry Wilson for pieces we are performing at San Diego International Airport in part of SDDT’s residency at the airport. I was floating around without any direction or clue where I was going until SDDT anchored me and I am eternally grateful for the opportunities I have been given here.
Has it been a smooth road?
I think there will always be bumps in the road in any journey we decide to pursue, and dance is certainly no exception! Physical limitations and dealing with injuries are considered the most painful part of dance and something I have struggled with through the years – the dancer’s body is their instrument, you know? I also have dealt with issues of body image and have received my share of too short, too wide, come back after you have lost 20 pounds, too ordinary, too this and too that comments in auditions and in studio settings.
I have actually been told my arms are too short to ever be considered to dance professionally and I used to let comments like that get to the core of my being! I am fortunate enough to now dance for a company that celebrates diversity and bodies of all shapes. I also think seeking comfort in my own body and capabilities as a dancer is something I am working on and still struggle with.
When I feel myself slipping or doubting myself, it is usually because I have forgotten about my experiences and my training that has shifted me into the dancer I am. Dance is the language I feel most comfortable using to communicate, and I remind myself of that whenever I am feeling uncertain. But to be able to partake in such an amazing art form in itself is something to celebrate as well! Any day I get to dance is a glorious day, and I am thankful that I get to experience every part of this art, even the bumps in the road!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the San Diego Dance Theater story. Tell us more about the business.
I am a company dancer for San Diego Dance Theater, which means I dance for SDDT’s productions, residencies, and performances alongside my fellow company members (which I luckily also get to call my friends) and get to work directly with artistic director Jean Isaacs, associate artistic director Terry Wilson, founding director George Willis, and operations manager Rebekah Brown. The thing I enjoy most about being a part of SDDT is being a part of the family here – we all have a common love and passion for dance, and we get to share that with each other!
About SDDT:
Founded in 1972 as a 501(c)3 professional company, the San Diego Dance Theater (SDDT) has for 45 years enriched the cultural life of San Diego through countless dance concerts and training for young dancers. Jean Isaacs was appointed Artistic Director in 1997 and under her direction, SDDT has earned its reputation as a company of fully-professional dancers committed to unconventional and deeply courageous programming which expands access to the stage for dancers of many nationalities, races, ages, and physical abilities. We are also known for our cross-border projects, our site-specific Trolley Dances, our summer dance workshops, and for the sheer beauty of our dancers.
I personally am proud to be a part of a company.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
There is constant change in the world we live in – isn’t it paradoxical that change is the one constant?! Anyways…
My hope for dance is that it continues to grow and its importance grows as well. Dance is an outlet for many, but it also acts as a lifeline, so I hope it becomes more accessible, inclusive, and community oriented.
I hope that dance is something that we can all be exposed to whether it is through physical participation or through observation on a more regular basis.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2650 Truxtun Road, Suite 108
- Website: http://sandiegodancetheater.org
- Phone: 619.225.1803
- Email: SDDT – info@SanDiegoDanceTheater.org / Hannah Pritchett – hmprit@gmail.com
- Instagram: SDDT – @sandiegodancetheater / Hannah Pritchett – @hanprit
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sandiego.dancetheater
Image Credit:
Doug McMinimy, Jean Isaacs, George Willis, Manuel Rotenberg, Jim Carmody
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