Hannah Holtsclaw is from Andover, Connecticut where she began training at Connecticut Concert Ballet.
Holtsclaw is entering her seventh season as a principal or leading dancer with Ballet Pensacola, where she has performed the roles of Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Christine in The Phantom of the Opera, Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, Lucy in Dracula, Clara & Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Snow White, and Paquita.
In addition to dancing with the professional company, Holtsclaw is the Pre-Primary Division Manager and teaches modern and character dance for Ballet Pensacola’s Academy.
Holtsclaw received In-weekly’s Best Of The Coast “Best Local Celebrity 2023” after she was featured in Emerald Coast Magazine’s article, On Pointe in April/May 2022.
Holtsclaw holds a B.F.A. in dance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), where she studied under the direction of Qi Jiang and performed the principal role of Nikiya in La Bayadere. While at CCM, Holtsclaw collaborated with conductor Mark Gibson, Director of Orchestral Studies to choreograph and stage CCM’s rendition of Ravel’s Boléro for the conservatory’s 150th anniversary celebration and concurrently choreographed and staged an original piece, Letters from Reims, for the Student Choreographer’s Showcase.
Holtsclaw has worked with world-renowned choreographer, Peter Chu at Regional Dance America (RDA) and was conferred the 2019 Choreography Connection Award for her original work staged at the 2019 National Choreography Intensive. Holtsclaw choreographed an original contemporary piece, Absolute, for Collin County Ballet Theatre’s Ballet Fete 2020 in Dallas, Texas and debuted her original rendition of The Nutcracker, choreographing on Ballet Pensacola’s professional company and academy in December 2020.
Prior to attending CCM, Holtsclaw trained in the Vaganova method at Bossov Ballet Theatre at Maine Central Institute under the tutelage of Artistic Director, Natalya Nikolaevna Getman, where she danced the roles of Pas D’Esclave, Blue Bird Pas De Deux, Four Swans, Swan Lake Pas De Trois, and principal roles in Don Quixote, Giselle, The Ugly Duckling and The Nutcracker.
“Ever since I was very young, I have felt most myself when performing on stage or training in the studio. I love how ballet pushes me as an artist and athlete every single day; there is always a new goal to be accomplished.”
Place of Birth: Andover, Connecticut USA
One word to describe why I dance: “Expressive”
Favorite Color: Mauve
Favorite Role danced: Lucy Westerna in Darren McIntyre’s Dracula & Kitri with Bossov Ballet Theatre
Dream Role: Juliet, Romeo & Juliet
Favorite Choreographer: William Forsythe
Favorite Traditional Ballet: Swan Lake
Favorite Cuisine / Dish: Sushi / Rainbow Roll
Favorite hobby: Planting and gardening
A Fun Fact about me: I have a two-year-old rescued Cairn Terrier named Sally. She is my best friend and has performed on the Pensacola stage as Toto!
What would you like your audience/community to gain from your performances: “My goal when performing is to make the audience feel the emotion and story of my character. My teacher always told me, “If you make one person feel something, then you have done your job as an artist.” I hope our Pensacola audience leaves each performance excited to see the next one!”
