If there was a benefit from the COVID-19 health pandemic for Haley Davis, it was definitely rediscovering education.
While COVID left many people working from home, Davis was unable to continue her professional dance career while the world was locked down in a struggle to preserve lives and prevent the spread of the deadly disease.
In the interim, Davis decided to use the downtime to further her education. As the Performing Arts Scholarship recipient at Western Nevada College, she went in a direction that was unanticipated.
For me, slowing down and focusing on my college education was challenging; I was forced to let go of my ego and forced to let go of how I thought my life would look at this age, Davis said. If you wouldve asked me four years ago if I ever planned on going back to school, the answer would have been a strong no. However, here I am today, with a completely new purpose and a new love for education.
In the lull created by the pandemic, Davis discovered a passion for higher education.
I think its important to say that everyones journey is different; and that for me, right now in my life, attending college was one of the smartest decisions I made, she said.
After she graduates with an associate degree from WNC, Davis plans to pursue a Bachelors degree in Psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno or UNLV.
Of course, Davis had every reason to think that education wasnt necessary in her career trajectory.
She grew up on the Western Nevada Musical Theatre Company stage and in the dance studio of her mother, choreographer Gina Kaskie Davis. She moved to Los Angeles at 18 to pursue a dance career, leading to a variety of opportunities and success. She has been featured as the lead dancer in Halienes music video Whisper. She has trained and performed as a company member of Radiance, under the direction of So You Think You Can Dance choreographer Rudy Abreu. In addition, as a member of the Step One Dance Company, she performed on the Holland America Cruise Lines.
Every college professor has the satisfaction of watching their students grow and succeed during their college years. I am truly fortunate that I have the opportunity to watch some of them actually grow up on our stage, said WNMTC Director and Producer Stephanie Arrigotti, as well as the Professor of Music at WNC. Haley first performed with us when she was only 3 years old. Even then, she was a perfectionist and we had to hold her back from directing everyone elses foot positions! Now, at 21, she is a sought-after choreographer whose numbers win top honors and an eye-popping dancer who performs on the world stage, with an artistry that is breathtaking. How fitting that she has connected her education in psychology with her passion for dance by working toward developing therapy for performers.
Presently, Davis travels the country as a professional assistant for multiple world renowned dance conventions, including Adrenaline and Revive Dance companies, and is on the faculty of one of Canadas top conventions, Elite Dance Productions. All of which have been achieved through hard work and determination.
Carving out a professional career in dancing has easily been one of the most difficult things Ive done in my life; the dance industry is cutthroat, Davis said. I cant count on my hands the amount of times Ive been told no, at an audition. However, what Ive realized thus far in my career is its not the dream jobs that fill you up inside, its the people you meet, the experiences you create and the indescribable feeling of putting your entire soul into what you do and never giving up.
Davis credits her mom, Gina, WNMTCs choreographer and assistant director, and Arrigotti for more than making it possible to become a professional dancer and choreographer.
I owe so much of who I am as a performer, but also as a person to these two, she said. Theater and the arts is more than just a career. You learn about life. My mom and Stephanie have taught me how to pick myself up when things get difficult, they taught me time management, and the most important thing of all, how freeing it feels to do what you love.
So many people today work a 9-5 job just to pay the bills. However, I can say, with so much gratitude, that I get to do what I love for a living and because of them, Ive never had to work a day in my life.
Being back in Carson City in late August to perform in Home Again, WNMTCs return to performing in front of live audiences, really was a homecoming for Davis.
Home Again was not like the other shows I was in, though, Davis said. This show was one of the most special performances Ive had the pleasure of being a part of. The people I got to perform alongside of, not only watched me grow up, but inspired my career in performing arts. They are my role models, my earliest idols and most importantly, my family.