HOPE LECLAIR, was raised in Portland Maine and is based in New York City. She has been dancing since five years old and has always been a kinesthetic learner. She has a diverse background in both classical and commercial styles of Ballet, Pointe, Contemporary, Jazz, Hiphop, and Heels techniques. At the Studio for the Living Arts Dance Complex she trained with: Sasha Yapparov, Elizabeth Avantaggio, Jamie Werner, Victoria Perrault, Amanda Preble, and Brea Perdue.
She received a BFA in Dance from Florida State University in Spring of 2023. There she trained under Donna Uchizono, Jawole Zolar, Illana Goldman, Caleb Mitchell, Irvin Gonzalez, and Kara Wilkes. She was cast as a dancer in the faculty original work, “Light on Blue on Black” by Tim Glenn. She performed and choreographed in multiple showcases including her piece, “Wish You Were Here” which was selected for the Spring 2022 School of Dance Concert. She directed and edited the dance film “Catherine” in the Fall 2022, which jump started her passion for film and photography. Upon moving to New York, she completed a semester internship with Battery Dance in the spring of 2023.
Hope’s interest in education started when she was employed as an assistant hiphop teacher for two years at the Studio for the Living Arts Dance Complex under Amanda Preble. In 2021 she began teaching Jazz and Hiphop at Wakulla Dance Academy in Crawfordville Florida for students ages 6-18, including substitute dance classes at schools across Tallahassee. In the School of Dance at Florida State she was employed as a teacher’s assistant in the Fall 2022, for the class ‘Movement Analysis’ taught by Tim Glenn, which explored the movement theory and choreography techniques of Alwin Nikolai and Rudolf Laban.
Since living in New York City, Hope trained with David Thomas as a dancer in his company “We Run This” in the 2023-2024 season. She performed in multiple shows across the East Coast, also competing in the New York World of Dance competition. She has also performed in Club Nyc, Sybarite, and Carnival with multiple choreographers, Kayla Maria G, Mia (MISO) Sommer, and David Thomas. In June, she performed at Madison Square Garden in the opening act for A Boogie Wit da Hoodie for his “Better off Alone Tour”, choreographed by Charles Smith. Hope has also performed and presented her choreography at CPR in Brooklyn with her contemporary installation piece “22”, and at the July Club Nyc “House Party” premiering her heels piece “Coyotes”.
