Pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance, Canadian native Hayden Rivas is a true “scholartist,” a term the faculty at USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance uses to describe scholars within the arts field, who are passionate about the combination of academics and the art of dance.
Hayden started his junior year with so much energy. Just last summer, his dance film was selected as one of the winners at the Music Center’s Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) Dance Film Festival. He also recently signed with a talent agent representing him in Los Angeles.
How did this all happen? Let’s go back to the very beginning and draw a quick timeline.
Hayden was five years old and living in Vancouver, BC the first time he danced on a stage. According to his parents, he immediately knew he wanted to do it again. Hayden continued dancing as a kid but did not take it seriously until he was 12 years old, after a trip to New York City for a dance competition.
He became captivated with dance that year and started competing in both Canada and the U.S. At 15 years old, while training at a dance studio, Hayden realized that dance was his calling and that he could pursue it as a career, instead of becoming a cardiothoracic surgeon as he had imagined.
2018 was a turning point for the young performer when he booked his first movie feature. Only 16 years old, Hayden was cast as a chorus performer on Descendants 3. He was dancing and lip syncing alongside Hollywood actors (including Dove Cameron!) for three months.
That experience was a pivotal moment in his life. It ultimately proved that dance is a viable career path and his parents also saw how serious he was about this project – and about dance in general.
During the rest of his high school years, he trained up to 30 hours per week and got more opportunities to dance in front of cameras in several TV shows such as Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, and Arrow.
Throughout this adventure, Hayden decided to pursue dancing in a collegiate program. He received multiple scholarships to attend dance programs in schools on the East Coast, but he ended up choosing USC. “My family did a road trip down to California, and I told them that I want to visit USC Kaufman and see what this school is all about”, remembered Hayden. “I talked to the advisors and I fell in love with the program because I really appreciated how it gives students the option to pursue their academic interests outside of dance”, he said. And that’s exactly what he wanted: a balanced program that caters to both his appreciation for academia and the rigor of dance training.
And here we are.
Hayden takes full advantage of what USC has to offer by jumping on all opportunities to be involved. Whether it is his RA-ship, being lead Kaufman ambassador, joining the Kaufman student advisory board or participating in the Berlin Maymester last May.
He also appreciates the connections and the opportunities that USC Kaufman has helped him get in the U.S. and believes that the school is facilitating his career growth.
As an international student, applying to USC was a daunting task for Hayden. He didn’t know many people from his school who wanted to pursue their studies in the U.S., especially not a BFA in Dance. But Hayden had a dream, and that was enough for him to get where he is today.
When asked if he had any advice for international students, Hayden suggested that “if your dream is to pursue a career or to pursue studies in the United States, don’t let the logistical hurdles bog you down or deter you from doing it. There are so many people who want to see you succeed.”
What is Hayden’s next move? He is looking into progressive programs in legal studies and a minor in cinematic arts at USC. This will allow him to help dancers advocate for themselves in the entertainment industry and explore how they can have better work experiences in film, TV and theater.
This does not mean that he’s planning on giving up on his performing arts career: he also aspires to book national tours and to be in a broadway show one day, while continuing to choreograph and work in the film and entertainment industry.
Hayden loves that dance gives him the ability to tell a story. “It’s so interesting that you can touch an audience without saying anything and expressing it through movement. The fact that dance can be a universal language is fascinating to me,” he said.
To everyone reading this, put on your dancing shoes because Hayden is just getting started. You can follow his journey through his website or on Instagram.
Written by: Tamara Amhaz, OIS Communications Editor, Master of Communication Management, USC Annenberg 2022