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Meet Ricardo Hartley III

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Ricardo Hartley III.

Ricardo, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My mother always says when I was just a toddler I would somehow find the beat in any song and would begin to nod to the beat. That love for music and instinctual movement vocabulary somehow manifested itself into a passionate love for dance. I have always been dancing since I could remember. I would perform for my family during holidays, family gatherings, and random sparks on inspiration. My favorite memories is when I would interrupt my mother in whatever she was doing and tell her I have a dance performance for her. She would completely drop everything she was doing and would give me her undivided attention. Many of my “performances” lasted from 5 to 30 minutes, and my mother would watch all of it and applaud me at the end of them. Because my mother knew I loved to dance so much, she placed me in our church’s dance ministry. One of the ministry’s leaders, who also danced for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, told my mother, “You’re is going to be a dancer. He has a passion for it.” My mother, stunned and confused, did not believe her 5-year old son would somehow become a professional dancer. It just didn’t make any sense at all. However, eight years later, I find myself wanting to become a ballet dancer.

When I was 13, my best friend gave me an application for the Alvin Ailey Summer Camp here in Atlanta, Georgia. Everyone knew I loved to dance and knew that I was somewhat good at it. So, my best friend thought it would be the perfect opportunity for me to learn different dance styles and see if I liked. I begged and begged my mother to let at least apply for the camp. My mother, again, was extremely confused. I remember her saying to me, ” You know nothing about ballet, Ricky. You can’t even dance, dance like that. You play sports.” However, I continued to try to persuade my mother, and she said yes; the only reason being the camp was a 5 -week tuition-free camp. As I started my first day at the camp, I had the striking realization that I had found my true calling. Dance felt so natural, so free. I found my purpose. The teachers at AileyCamp were constantly telling my parents, “Your son has natural talent and gift for dance. He has the potential to make it as a professional dancer.” My mother could not believe it. She could not a believer that her son, who has been playing soccer for eight years and running track, had the potential to become a dancer. It didn’t make sense to her.

After the five weeks, I was offered a scholarship to train at the Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education. I explained to my mother that I truly wanted to be dancing. I needed to be dancing. My mother told me that she could not afford to fund all of my activities, so I had to pick between my athletic activities or dance. I chose to dance. After that decision was made, my life took on a new life and new challenges. I trained all across the Metro-Atlanta area at schools such as City Gate Dance Theatre, Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education, and DeKalb School of the Arts. The summer before my senior year of high school, I was offered two amazing opportunities. I was offered a full tuition scholarship to train at the Miami City Ballet School, and I was accepted into Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, Texas. My mother and I felt as though I needed a more rigorous and intense training regiment in order to reach my dreams of becoming a professional dancer. So, my mother and I decided to move our family to Dallas, Texas, so I could train at Booker T. Washington HSPVA and the Chamberlain School of Ballet.

It was extremely difficult moving to a whole new state. It took a lot of adjusting and getting used to, but my family and I had a mission; to get me to a professional dance company.

The Juilliard School was always a dream, but I never imagined it could actually become a reality. I never considered myself to be a Juilliard dancer. I didn’t think I was good enough. One of the main reasons as to why my family and I moved to Dallas was because Juilliard has a history of accepting dancers from Booker T. Washington HSPVA, so my mother believed this school would help me reach my goal (it DID!). I vividly remember my Juilliard audition. I was extremely nervous, yet calm. I went into my audition without any expectations of myself or the panel of judges. I just wanted to present myself in the most honest form that I could.

After a 6-hour long audition, I received a letter stating that I am being considered for the Juilliard dance class of 2021. A month later, I received a call from The Juilliard School stating that I have been accepted as one of twelve men, one of twenty-four dancers, for the Juilliard dance class of 2021. I was baffled. I never thought in a million years that I would be able to attend The Juilliard School. Although I was overjoyed by my acceptance into Juilliard, reality set in. My mother could not afford Juilliard; it was too expensive. I remember crying to my mother and asking her, “Mom, how are we going to pay for school?” She continued to reassure me and tell me, ” We have to continue to pray. You’re supposed to be at that school.” Two weeks later, I received an email from Juilliard stating that I have received a full-tuition scholarship. My dream came true. It really came true. 20 years later, I find myself finishing my sophomore year at The Juilliard School. I would have never imagined that I would be living my dream life. I’m dancing and living in New York City as a student at Juilliard. It still baffles me. My hard work paid off; all of the blood, sweat, and tears paid off. Dance has brought me on such an extreme journey, and it’s not finished. I’m so blessed to be on this journey of life.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My journey has not been an easy one. Dance is extremely tasking on the physical and mental state of the body. There have been many days where I wanted to give up because I was putting my body, mind, and spirit through so much exercise and training, in a way that was unfamiliar, different, and difficult. Because I started training at such a late age, I knew that I had a lot of catching up to do in order to reach my ultimate goal. to become a professional dancer with a European contemporary ballet company. Therefore, I had to push my body and my mind beyond limits I didn’t even know existed.

Bullying played a major role in why my journey has not been easy. Where I’m from, it is unheard of that a young black boy wanted to become a ballet dancer. Because dance was so unfamiliar to people, I was ridiculed for being different and not following the “normal” path people thought a black man should be on. This had a negative impact on my mental health, and I used question was dance actually for me. However, I knew that I was made to become a dancer. I knew that I had found what I was supposed to be doing for the rest of my life. Dance just made life so joyous and fulfilling for me, so I had to continue.

From paying from dance clothing, tuition, fees, summer dance intensives, conventions, and other events that exposed me to different companies, dancers, and teachers, dance is extremely expensive. Fortunately, I have been blessed with numerous scholarships to help fund my dance education. However, as my mother as my sole source of income, it has still been extremely difficult to pay for those activities.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with The Audition Workshop – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
In 2019, I founded my company, The Audition. The Audition is a dance intensive workshop that specializes in teaching students, ages 13-18, how to properly audition for summer dance intensives, dance schools, and colleges/conservatories. The Audition’s main goal is to cultivate young dance students into intelligent and thoughtful dancers that have an authentic sense of artistry. Our mission is to help students reach their true artistic and technical potential, therefore making them into dance artists that are undeniable in front of a panel of directors. I wanted to begin this company because I felt as though the Atlanta dance education system was lacking the necessary tools to create dance artists that want to perform for companies outside of the Metro-Atlanta area. Being a Juilliard student, I am at the center of the performing arts, especially dance. I am always obtaining valuable knowledge and experiencing different dancers, teachers, and companies. It’s necessary to share all of my knowledge of today’s youth.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
After my time at Juilliard, my dream is to dance professionally with a European contemporary ballet company. I’m looking forward to auditioning for companies and seeing where I end up. Yes, I have the companies that I see myself dancing for, however, my future can change drastically and my dream company might not be the company I’m supposed to be at. I’m really excited to see how my dance career unfolds itself. I would also like to expand my workshop, The Audition, to more cities. I want to continue to spread my knowledge to other young individuals and hope to continue to plant seeds into lives, so they can manifest into greatness.

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Image Credit:
Jorge Joubert, Kenneth B. Edwards

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