Alumni Spotlight: Heather Conn
LIHSA Alum Heather Conn is not just a passionate and extraordinary dancer, but she is equally kind, gracious, and beautiful inside and out. She took time out of her busy schedule touring with the professional dance company MOMIX on a travel day from Michigan to Illinois to share her story with us.
Heather grew up in Locust Valley and was born to be a dancer. As a three-year-old, she attended her cousin’s dance performance, and her mom said Heather could not contain herself in her seat saying “It’s so beautiful. I want to do that.” Her cousin’s teacher typically didn’t accept students as young as Heather but made an exception for Heather. “I loved it more than anything. I knew with my heart and soul that’s what I wanted to do with my life.”
This was just the start to Heather’s life dedicated to dance. She trained locally on Long Island and New York City (including Joffrey and Bolshoi Ballet Schools) and tried to learn as many types of dance forms as possible.
She learned about LIHSA and attended an open house in 8th grade. She knew right away she wanted to attend. Locust Valley supported her attending for her junior and senior years.
The LIHSA experience for Heather was everything she wanted and more. She found the opportunity to train with professionals in multi-disciplines and to learn about all areas of the industry. She loved that her studies involved more than technique and included deep dives into things like anatomy and the history of dance. This is knowledge she uses and passes on when she teaches students. “We were taught how to be professional: the etiquette, how to audition, and were introduced to LIHSA alumni through the network and masterclasses.”
Heather shares, “It’s so hard to encompass the impact that that experience and education had on me. Not just in dancing and art form, but the impact on me as a human was profound. Every day I learned something new and left a different person. On a human level – the school was brilliant at welcoming individuals exactly as they are. The faculty and staff loved and cherished everyone for who they were. I gained a lot of confidence there. They made me feel like I could conquer the whole dance world if I wanted to. I would not be who I am if I didn’t get to go there and I say that with so much conviction.”
Heather graduated from LIHSA in 2010 and went on to pursue her BFA at the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. It was an intense dance and academic program but she loved it. She cites that the school sought after dancers who were uniquely creative artists rather than conforming to seeking students with one particular body type or style of dance. She loved studying in New York City too, with access to so many choreographers and opportunities. Her class was small – only 25 or 30 dancers – so they formed a close bond.
After graduation, Heather launched into the dance world doing a variety of freelance and short-term gigs. These included working with individual choreographers, small companies, musical theater, a theme park, and film. Then, in 2018, Heather landed her dream job, joining the company of MOMIX.
Back in high school, Heather attended every dance performance she could, especially through Tilles Center’s High 5 program that provided $5 tickets to students to increase access to the arts. As a teenager, she attended both a pre-performance talk with a MOMIX dancer followed by a dance performance of the group. She immediately fell in love with the company, and while watching the show she cried in her seat. “I had never seen anything like it,” Heather recalls. “It made me see things in a way I had never seen before and I just knew I wanted to be a part of this.” She continued to seek after MOMIX performances and workshops, and researched the company’s work wherever possible.
Heather auditioned a few times to join the Washington, Connecticut-based company and the last time she knew it was “her time.” She was right! She was hired to help create and debut a new production based on Alice in Wonderland called “Alice.” She felt lucky to be in the original cast of seven who helped create the show. It premiered in 2019, first in Connecticut (on Heather’s birthday!) and then in Italy. “It was the epitome of a dream come true!” shares Heather.
The touring show is on the road…a lot. They’ve shared this beautiful performance all over the world: Spain, Italy, France, Israel, China, The Netherlands, Brazil, Uruguay, Chile and all throughout the US.
While traveling Heather tries to experience as much about the culture of the places they stop. But the show is physically demanding so she balances experiencing her surroundings and investing in self-care and getting rest.
“It’s important to sleep, get good food and do anything that brings you joy.” She cites that the cast (7-9 members) and crew (3 technicians) have formed its own community and have a very strong bond with so many days on the road together.
For the future, Heather hopes to keep performing as long as she can. She still loves performing in “Alice” but hopes artistically she can get involved in a new show and help it develop too. She also has a strong passion for Healing Arts and can see pursuing that in the future too. She says, “I try to keep an openness about the future. But dance will be involved.”
When asked if she had advice for current LIHSA students, Heather says, “Don’t let anyone
tell you who you are. Only you have that power. The moment you let someone else tell you, you’ve given that power to them. We constantly get messages of who we should be. It’s easy to believe those messages, but only you know. The world needs every one of us exactly for who we are as artists. Stay true to that.”
Her bond with LIHSA will never waiver. Not long after she graduated, Nassau BOCES expressed that they may close the school. When alumni were called upon to help save the school, Heather was all in. “I have a deep passion for the school and couldn’t fathom the idea it might not exist. I had to do everything I could to make sure it kept going. It changed my life.”
Since helping to ensure the school would persevere, Heather has been back many times for residencies, teaching, events, fundraisers and to speak at graduation in 2022. “Each time I return, it is incredible and feels like I never left. LIHSA will never leave you.”
Thank you, Heather, for giving LIHSA – and the world – your artistry, insights, and kindness.
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