Kayla Hendricks

Hello! 

My name is Kayla Hendricks and I am a dancer based in New York City. 

I have been dancing for more than a decade and I have loved every minute of it! I am trained in jazz, tap, ballet, partnering, and many other styles. I have earned a BPA in Dance performance from Oklahoma City University, and have danced all over the world for companies and venues such as, RWS Entertainment, Hershey Park, Azamara Cruises, Rand Productions, and the MGM Beau Rivage Resort and Casino!

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I began my dance experience in Highland, Michigan at Karen's School of Dance. At this dance studio, I found my passion for dancing and began my training in jazz, ballet, and tap. From a young age, I began taking as many classes as I could, performing in dance competitions, and attending Joffrey Summer Dance programs, Rockette Intensives, and other camps and conventions. I have always loved to work hard and I loved working hard at improving as much as I could where ever I could! 

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The next step in my journey was I attending Oklahoma City University and earning my BPA in Dance Performance. While there, I trained in jazz, ballet, and tap, as well as theatre jazz and dance partnering. I loved expanding my knowledge of dance and learning new facets of the field such as dance pedagogy, dance history, and dance management skills!  I enjoyed dancing everyday and performing with the American Spirit Dance company and OCU Spirit Dance Team. 

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Following my graduation, I took my new knowledge, skills, and network and I moved to New York City. Once in the city, I began to train at Steps on Broadway and Broadway Dance Center, included me participating in the BDC Professional Semester. I trained in theater jazz, tap, and many other styles everyday with many experienced professionals. As well as training, I also began auditioning as much as I could. After a few months in the city, I booked my first contract at Hershey Park's Music Box Theater!

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At Hershey Park, I was casted as a dancer in a show called 'Up on the Rooftop'. We performed this show up to five times a day and up to 6 days a week. In this show, the dancers performed theatrical jazz routines, partnering numbers, and tap dancing sections. As well as dancing, we also had to perform background vocals to the featured singers. I performed this show through the holiday season and learned so much from this experience!

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Following my contract in Pennsylvania, I returned to New York to resume my training and auditioning. After a few months back, I booked my next adventure with Azamara Cruises! I had always wanted to perform on a cruise ship, so this was a dream come true! I was contracted to be a signature dancer on the Azamara Quest and Journey, which was scheduled to cruise the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Africa, and the Middle East. My role onboard was to perform three signature shows called 'Jump, Jive, Swing', 'Come Sail Away', and 'Just Dance'. Our shows included theatre dance, jazz dance, swing dancing, lots of partnering, and other fun styles! Along with our main shows, we were also contracted to dance with the guests during our outdoor 'White Night', perform/choreograph for special performances, and assists with activities around the ship. I loved working on this line because I was able to perform, adventure, and work hard! 

I worked with Azamara until the pandemic temporarily ceased operations. I remained on the ship for four months while the cruises were cancelled and I continued to work on board as much as I could! After finally being repatriated, I returned home and continued to train through the pandemic. 

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I returned to work with Azamara once operations resumed though! Being the first cast to resume sailing, we returned to our entertainment roles onboard, but also jumped into helping restart operations! I enjoyed the hard work and challenges that came with restarting a ship and I continued to work hard the eight months we were onboard!

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Following my last Azamara contract, I returned to the U.S. and returned to continue to train, audition, and push myself towards my next adventure on land! My next adventure ended up being in Biloxi Mississippi with Rand Productions. Our show was called 'Finding Christmas' and we performed in the MGM Beau Rivage Resort and Casino for the holiday season! Our show was 75 minutes, and included jazz dancing, partnering, tap dancing, and lots of Christmas magic! 

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Following this holiday season, I have once again returned to New York City to continue to train and audition for new and exciting opportunities!

I am so thankful for every experience that I have had in this industry and I am excited to see where it leads me to next!