Ryan Heffington

Ryan Heffington (born June 7, 1973) is a dancer, choreographer and dance studio owner based in Los Angeles. He was nominated for two Grammy Awards for choreographing the music videos for Arcade Fire's "We Exist" (2013) and Sia's "Chandelier" (2014), winning a VMA Award for the latter.

Early life

Heffington was born in Yuba City, California. He has danced since he was young, but has never received any formal training. He moved from Yuba City to Los Angeles at the age of 18.^[1]

Career

In the mid-1990s, Heffington co-created the Psycho Dance Sho' with Bubba Carr, and in the late 2000s he was the artistic director for the experimental modern dance company Hysterica.^[1] From 2006 to 2009 Heffington lead the dance troupe Fingered, which combined fast-paced Martha Graham-style choreography with genderbending costumes designed by Heffington.^[2] He has performed at bars and clubs, as well as MOCA, LACMA, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Saturday Night Live, Walt Disney Concert Hall, the UCLA Hammer Museum and Coachella.^[3]

Heffington is best known for choreographing the music videos for Arcade Fire's "We Exist" (2013) and Sia's "Chandelier" (2014),^[4][5] both of which were nominated for Grammy Awards,^[6] and the latter of which won him a VMA Award.^[7] Other Sia videos that Heffington has choreographed include "Elastic Heart", "Big Girls Cry", "Cheap Thrills" and "The Greatest".^[8] Sia and Heffington's collaborations have "done more to raise the standards of dance in pop music than nearly any current artist integrating the forms."^[9] He has also worked with FKA Twigs and Britney Spears, and made several appearances on Ru Paul's Drag Race.^[10]

Heffington is the owner of The Sweat Spot, a dance studio in Silver Lake, Los Angeles.^[11] The space offers classes for both professional dancers and beginners in a casual atmosphere. Heffington decided to open the studio after he had hosted a roving event called Sweaty Sundays.^[1]

References