The Nevada Sagebrush

Photos of Haleigh Hoff, a 20-year-old journalism major, line the walls of Nevada Dance Academy on Fourth Street. Photos of her as a toddler in a tutu transition into photos of her as a teenager decked out in costumes from local dance recitals. Her dance knowledge ranges from classical to contemporary, though hip-hop is her favorite style.

“I really enjoy hip-hop,” she said. “I like to break it down. It’s more free-spirited, fun and aggressive, like me. I’m trained in ballet, but I find classical a little boring. Hip-hop is my thing.”

Her myriad of accomplishments include appearing in 15 productions of “The Nutcracker,” competing in more than 80 regional and national dance competitions and teaching her own dance classes for six years, giving her a wealth of different dance experiences.

“There was one tap solo I had when I was nine,” she said. “It was the best solo I’d had. I’d been working on it for two years and I had earned my way to the top of a competition. It was a butterfly dance, so I was decked out in this full butterfly costume with wings attached to my legs. When the fast part started, I just froze. I made a really weird face and pulled the wings off my costume and then I just went back into the dance. I still ranked high in the competition because the judges thought it was the weirdest and funniest thing they’d seen, that I came back into the dance so strong.”

Hoff, whose mother owns the studio, has danced since she was two years old, and plans to continue pursuing dance throughout her life.

“Basically, I was born into dance and didn’t really have a choice,” she said. “My mom owns a studio and my dad works in the studio. I went through phases where I was not into it at all and tried to rebel against my parents by doing things like sports. But I have to admit that I’ve always really loved it. It’s a huge commitment, but I’m glad I stuck with it.”

Her mother, Diane Guest-Hoff, is the artistic director of Nevada Dance Academy and is one of the West Coast’s most prominent members of the Cecchetti Ballet Council of America. Cecchetti is a strict method of classical ballet training that requires rigorous examinations in order for dancers to pass on to the next level.

Guest-Hoff was flown out to Reno from South Africa to star in an MGM Grand production of “Hello Hollywood Hello.” Although she was supposed to remain in town for only six months, she met the show’s lighting director on the first night of performances and fell in love. Haleigh was born about the same time Guest-Hoff opened up her first dance studio.

As soon as she was able to walk, Hoff’s mother involved her in dance.

“I’ve had a pretty big career for someone my age in Reno,” she said.

Hoff, who was voted class clown at Reno High School, said that her dance experience has enabled her to be more outgoing.

“I always got in trouble for being loud and obnoxious at dance as well as school,” she said. “I sort of live by the expression, ‘Dance like nobody is watching.’ It’s something we teach our students, too — don’t care so much what the audience thinks. It’s kind of shaped me.”

Hoff plans to make a career out of dancing by heading to Los Angeles and auditioning for shows. However, she eventually plans to return to Reno to take over her mother’s dance studio.

“I’m in school for a reason,” she said. “It’s not the most promising career choice. My mom was lucky that she got a studio and that it’s a successful studio. Our only career choices are being dancers in Las Vegas or in some weird circus show. It’s hard.”

Hoff said while Reno provides few professional opportunities for dancers, it is a great place for students to start out.

“It’s definitely grown a lot,” she said. “There are a lot of studios in Reno. It’s not as big as other big cities like Las Vegas or San Francisco, but a lot of people sprout out of here to do other professional stuff.”

Check out a story on the local dance scene.

Casey O’Lear can be reached at colear@nevadasagebrush.com.

Related Posts:

• Dance department premieres multimedia ballet
• Local dancers ready for their own spotlight
• Fall dance festival to feature students Friday
• Brüka’s ‘Party’ lives up to ‘wild’ moniker
• Interview: NastyNasty; a fusion of dubstep and hip hop