VINCENT HARDY

   BORN IN NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, AND RAISED IN SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, HARDY GREW UP STRUGGLING WITH OBESITY AND WEIGHED 315 POUNDS BY EIGHTH GRADE. DURING HIS STRUGGLE, HE EXPERIENCED BULLYING, FEAR, AND ISOLATION. AROUND THE TIME HARDY BEGAN HIGH SCHOOL, HE BEGAN TAKING DANCE CLASSES, AND FOUND THAT MOVEMENT ALLOWED HIM TO EXPRESS HIMSELF IN A WAY THAT HE COULDN’T BEFORE: “DANCE MADE ME FEEL VALUED,when I danced I felt more sure, more confident, more authentic than at any other time. I became someone else, and that person had power, a voice, and something to say.” LATER, HARDY FLOURISHED AT THE SAN DIEGO SCHOOL OF CREATIVE AND PERFORMING ARTS, AND HIS ABILITIES SOON EARNED HIM A FULL SCHOLARSHIP TO THE ACADEMY OF PERFORMING ARTS IN SAN DIEGO.

  HARDY WON A FULL SCHOLARSHIP TO PHILADELPHIA UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS, WHERE HE EARNED A BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS DEGREE IN BALLET PERFORMANCE. HE JOINED COMPLEXIONS CONTEMPORARY BALLET DURING HIS SENIOR YEAR, AND  TOURED WITH THE COMPANY THROUGHOUT THE US, ITALY, AND ISRAEL. HARDY PERFORMED IN WORKS SUCH AS MERCY, MOON OVER JUPITER, AND RISE.

AS CHRIST BECAME THE ROOT OF HARDY’S VISION, HE ALSO DESIRED TO SHAPE THE VISION WITH ARTISTIC, THEOLOGICAL, AND HISTORICAL KNOWLEDGE. IN JANUARY 2012, HARDY RECEIVED YET ANOTHER FULL SCHOLARSHIP, THIS TIME FOR THE NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED DANCE GRADUATE PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE. HARDY TRAINED UNDER DONALD MCKAYLE, JODIE GATES, AND TONG WANG. HE RESEARCHED THE INTERSECTION OF SACRED DANCE AND CHOREOGRAPHY FOR HIS THESIS, “JOURNEY TO SALVATION,” WHICH WAS ALSO EXEMPLIFIED IN HIS CHOREOGRAPHIC THESIS OF THE SAME NAME.

   IN 2011, HARDY RETURNED TO HOLLYWOOD, WORKING IN COMMERCIAL DANCE AND TEACHING CHOREOGRAPHY. HE NEVER GUESSED THAT HIS SEASON IN LOS ANGELES WOULD CHANGE HIS LIFE AND  CAREER FOREVER. IF NOT FOR HIS SEASON IN HOLLYWOOD, HARDY MIGHT NEVER HAVE BECOME THE VISIONARY HE IS TODAY.  

AS THE SEASON IN HOLLYWOOD LASTED FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. HARDY GRADUALLY BECAME DISENCHANTED WITH PERFORMING FOR THE SAKE OF PERFORMANCE. FOR HARDY, DANCE WAS NO LONGER WORTHWHILE UNLESS THERE WERE BETTER REASONS THAN COMPETITION. BETTER REASONS THAN PROVING YOURSELF TO SOMEONE. AND A MUCH BETTER REASON THAN THE EMPTY PURSUIT OF PERSONAL FULFILLMENT. 

IN THAT DRY, PAINFUL SEASON, HARDY ENCOUNTERED GOD. ALTHOUGH HE WAS RAISED IN THE CHRISTIAN FAITH AND BELIEVED IN GOD, THIS WAS A COMPLETELY NEW AND INTENSELY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. HARDY SAYS, “THIS [FAITH] WAS NOT ABOUT TRADITION OR RELIGION. THOSE THINGS HAVE THEIR PLACE, BUT THIS FAITH WAS BIRTH FROM A REAL RELATIONSHIP WITH A LIVING GOD, FATHER, AND FRIEND.”

THIS GOD DIDN’T CONDEMN DANCE AS WORLDLY. THIS GOD DIDN’T USE IT AS ANOTHER WAY TO PREACH AT PEOPLE. THIS GOD BLESSED DANCE AS HOLY AND AN EXTRAORDINARY MEANS TO EXPRESS MEANING, LOVE, AND HOPE. THIS CREATOR WAS THE FIRST CHOREOGRAPHER, WHO SPUN THE SOLAR SYSTEM INTO A WALTZ.  IT WAS THE BEGINNING OF HARDY’S EXPLORATION OF DANCE WITH HIS FAITH AS THE FOUNDATION. HE BEGAN INVESTIGATING THE BIBLE, NOT ONLY TO DEEPEN HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, BUT ALSO TO UNDERSTAND THE SCRIPTURES’ PERSPECTIVE ON THE NATURE OF ART AND THE ARTIST. 

AS CHRIST BECAME THE ROOT OF HARDY’S VISION, HE ALSO DESIRED TO SHAPE THE VISION WITH ARTISTIC, biblical, AND HISTORICAL KNOWLEDGE. IN JANUARY 2012, HARDY RECEIVED YET ANOTHER FULL SCHOLARSHIP, THIS TIME FOR THE NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED DANCE GRADUATE PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE. HARDY TRAINED UNDER DONALD MCKAYLE, JODIE GATES, AND TONG WANG. HE RESEARCHED THE EXPLORATION OF SACRED DANCE AND CHOREOGRAPHY FOR HIS THESIS, “ The Journey to salvation,” WHICH WAS ALSO EXEMPLIFIED IN HIS CHOREOGRAPHIC THESIS OF THE SAME NAME.

RECENT WORK

AFTER IRVINE, HARDY BECAME THE DIRECTOR OF STAGE PRODUCTION AT BELHAVEN UNIVERSITY(2013-2014). WHILE AT BELHAVEN, HE CHOREOGRAPHED DRY BONES, WHICH FEATURES HARDY’S DISTINCTLY URGENT AND HOPEFUL CHOREOGRAPHY.  

HARDY CURRENTLY TEACHES AT EPICENTER FOR THE ARTS, DALLAS, TX, AND EPICENTER’S DANCE REVOLUTION CONVENTION, WHICH IS THE ONLY FAITH-BASED DANCE CONVENTION IN THE UNITED STATES. HE IS AN INSTRUCTOR AND CHOREOGRAPHER FOR THE DANCE PROJECT (DALLAS) AND EPICENTER’S INGREDIENTS DANCE COMPANY. HARDY IS ALSO A GUEST CHOREOGRAPHER FOR THE TEXAS BALLET THEATRE SCHOOL PROFESSIONAL DIVISION, AS WELL AS BRIAH DANSE (BOULDER, CO). 

HARDY’S TEACHING EXPERIENCE INCLUDES SERVING ON THE FACULTIES OF MAPLE CONSERVATORY (IRVINE, CALIFORNIA), EARL MOSLEY’S INSTITUTE OF THE ARTS (KENT, CT), INTERNATIONAL DANCE ACADEMY HOLLYWOOD, AND THE ACADEMY OF PERFORMING ARTS (SAN DIEGO, CA). HARDY HAS TAUGHT MASTER CLASSES AT TOWSON UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY DANCE (TOWSON, MARYLAND) AND AD DEUM DANCE COMPANY (HOUSTON, TX). 

HARDY HAS PERFORMED ON THE TRINITY BROADCASTING NETWORK. HE HAS ALSO DANCED WITH GOSPEL ARTISTS INCLUDING BEBE WINANS, MARTHA MUNIZZI, EDDIE JAMES, AND MICAH STAMPLEY.

HARDY HAS ALSO SERVED AS A GUEST CHOREOGRAPHER, DANCER, AND TEACHER AT SCHOOLS AND EVENTS WORLDWIDE. HIS EXPERIENCES INCLUDE THE HAN YANG UNIVERSITY OF KOREA, THE KARAH DANCE CONFERENCE IN PARIS, FRANCE, AND QAVAH ESPACIO DE DANZA, GUADALAJARA, JALISCO, MEXICO. 

WHILE HOLDING THESE VARIOUS POSITIONS, HIS RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDED INSTRUCTING, REHEARSING, AND CHOREOGRAPHING. HIS RESPONSIBILITIES AS BELHAVEN’S DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION INCLUDED LIGHTING, SOUND, STAGE MANAGING.

                                                     Resume/CV upon request