Hettie Barnhill, a COCA Distinguished Alum, is a dancer, creator, and arts leader whose career spans performance, education, and social justice.
She began dancing at Pelagie Green Wren’s studio from ages 3–11, a Black ballet competition school. She continued training at the Katherine Dunham Performing Arts Center, Central Visual Performing Arts High School, and later received a scholarship to Alexandra Ballet School, where Ms. Lee Nolting encouraged her to train at COCA.
“I was there, but I wasn’t present until I met Ms. Lee Nolting,” said Hettie. “COCA was a place I immediately felt safe and free.”
At COCA, Hettie was in COCAdance from ages 13–18 and valued the mix of students from both the city and county. Early exposure to guest artists and masterclasses helped prepare her to be a versatile performer.
“I was getting training that challenged me, but also, I felt strong in. I was able to flourish and play with who I was as a person,” said Hettie.
After COCA, Hettie attended Columbia College Chicago, building strong professional connections throughout her studies.
“By the time I moved to New York City when I graduated, I had a host of familiar people to reach out to and go audition. I wasn’t going to wait for an opportunity; I had to go for it,” said Hettie.
Hettie freelanced after college, performing internationally and appearing on Broadway in Tony Award-winning Fela!, Tony award-nominated Leap of Faith, and Spiderman. She later opened Movement and Characters, whose curriculum was recognized by New York State and the Family Department and shared in public schools across the boroughs in New York City.
Hettie received the Shirley Chisholm Women of Excellence Award and directed A Love Letter, which became a powerful film during COVID, when live performances were halted. The film has been selected and awarded in national and international festivals, including the honor from the California Senate with a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition, “Using Film as a Vehicle For Community Engagement and Education” by Congressman Ro Khanna and California Senator Bob Wieckowski.
“It started from the need to give voice to people who felt or were silenced,” said Hettie. “It uses art to combat bias and talk about race relations in America.”
In 2016, she founded Create a Space Now, a social justice performing arts platform. Create a Space Now brings art into existing spaces to spark honest conversations. This work led to the creation of the Barhill Movement Collective this year. A multigenerational, size-inclusive dance company of 20 dancers, ages 25–60, with their first performance planned for September 2026.
“It is a huge career shift that is very exciting to me,” said Hettie. She was excited to share the dance company will have their debut concert on Sunday, September 2, 2026, at 4:30PM at GE Theatre at Proctors in Schenectady, New York. This performance will explore the visible and invisible weight carried by individuals and society. Through physically driven choreography, ensemble-based storytelling, and interdisciplinary design elements, the work examines themes of identity, power, labor, democracy, anxiety, resilience, and responsibility. Each piece reflects how history, systems, relationships, and lived experiences reside in the body. Blending contemporary dance with physical theater, the company moves between intimacy and urgency, stillness and momentum, asking what we inherit, what we endure, and what we choose to hold, release, or transform.
When asked about advice for current, young artists, Hettie responds: “When it comes down to art and opportunity, do not tell yourself no. The world is going to tell you ‘no’ enough, you tell yourself ‘yes’ for every audition, even if you feel that you are not the right type. […] When you say no, you have stopped your learning experience, and you do not know what connections will come from your yes.”
To learn more about Hettie and her many projects and achievements, please visit hettiebarnhill.com.
