Today we’d like to introduce you to Tori Hey.
Hi Tori, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I am a NYC-based Freelance Ballet Dancer. My dance training began at 3 years old, inspired by my Grandmother who was an Acrobat. My parents had no idea that those early days of Pre-Ballet classes would lay the foundation for the trajectory of the rest of my life, but once I started dancing I never stopped. I trained in a variety of styles including Tap, Jazz, and Ballet. In my early training, I competed on the dance competition circuit, and had unique opportunities to perform at the Fred and Adele Astaire Awards, several Dancers Responding to AIDS events, and at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Later in my pre-professional training, I focused on honing my technique and artistry in Ballet and Contemporary dance. I spent my summers studying across the US with companies such as ABT, Complexions, LINES, and Paul Taylor Dance Company to name a few. My most influential teachers through these formative years were powerful female instructors including Francesca Harper, Talin Kenar, Linda Kent, Andrea Kramer, and Alexandra Wells who each guided me not only in dance technique, but taught me priceless life lessons on what it takes to become a professional dancer. I earned my first paycheck as a professional dancer at 15 years old, and by the time I graduated from high school I was an active member of the NYC Freelance Ballet scene, performing primarily with Arch Ballet (Artistic Director Sheena Annalise). Simultaneously, I earned my degree in Dance from the Ailey/Fordham BFA program, and became an ABT Certified Ballet Teacher. During my early career, I performed at prestigious venues in NYC including The Joyce Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and The Park Avenue Armory. Today, I continue to be fully immersed in NYC Freelance Ballet as a performer and teacher.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
My professional trajectory has been non-linear. The largest physical obstacle that I have faced is my height as a taller-than-average female dancer. As a pre-professional student the challenge was to keep up technically with my peers as my body grew at a much more rapid pace. As a professional, my height can sometimes disqualify me from auditions and castings. One of the best pieces of knowledge I ever received was from a teacher who told me that being the tallest in the room often means you also have to be the strongest in the room to defy the limited expectations of what tall female dancers are capable of technically and artistically. Truthfully I grew up dreaming of being part of a full-time ballet company as opposed to a freelancer. When I began freelancing I thought it would be a stepping-stone in my career, but one job led to another, and years later I have built my whole career and identity as a Freelance Ballet Dancer. Freelancing comes with the unique challenge of being my own agent including funding and maintaining my own training schedule, securing my own auditions, and sometimes my own performance opportunities, as well as more practical tasks such as funding my own health care, and paying my taxes quarterly. There are also assumptions within the dance world that being a freelancer, as opposed to a member of a full-time company, means you have effectively failed at having a successful career as a performer. In my artistic work, my goal is to break through the glass ceiling of possibilities for tall female Freelance Ballet Dancers- for me, the sky is the limit.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As a Freelance Ballet Dancer, my work consists of piecing together several jobs all at the same time. Right now, I primarily perform with two NYC-based companies: Ballets With A Twist (Artistic Director Marilyn Klaus), and Neville Dance Theatre (Artistic Director Brenda Neville). In between performing and touring seasons, I seek out additional performance opportunities as an independent performer in the form of festivals, and guest artist work. I feel my best when I can get on stage in front of a live audience at least once per month. My artistic work has appeared on stages across the country, at high profile events such as New York Fashion Week, and in film productions such as “Etoile,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” and “Succession.” Apart from performing, I teach students of all ages at various dance studios, including open classes at Broadway Dance Center, and I serve on the judging panel at education-focused dance competitions. I was recently recognized in Pointe Magazine’s “Standout Performances of 2025,” for my performance of the iconic Esmeralda variation. I am always eager to find new avenues to connect and collaborate with the dance community, as well as expand my reach as an artist.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I have put literal blood, sweat, and tears into my career as a Freelance Ballet Dancer. In the studio, I train my body and mind to perform at a professional athletic and artistic level. Outside of the studio, I forge relationships with other dance world professionals by introducing myself in person, and often virtually. The community of Freelance Ballet Dancers is a small bubble inside of a larger ecosystem, and I credit a large portion of my success on my ability to maintain enduring professional relationships. It takes effort in one way or another every single day in order to manifest the life and career I have built and will continue to build. My career has unfolded in ways that have both surprised, excited, and humbled me. To put it bluntly- I’m living the dream.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/thetorihey
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tori.hey.1/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeRNuGacWvfvq_vCk7YmK4g
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@thetorihey
Image Credits
Dirk Reps, Noel Valero, Dirk Reps, Noel Valero, Dirk Reps
