As a creative, Gina Hanchey has experience in the world of dance, acting, film, and theater. She has been choreographing and teaching classical and contemporary ballet for thirty years and has created over a dozen dance performances from show concept, choreography and rehearsal to production. An actor experienced in stage, film and television, Gina is a member of the Screen Actor’s Guild (SAG) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA). Her writing and directing has received top nominations from The Slamdance Screenplay Competition and The Los Angeles Filmmaking Competition. Her latest show, Beauty Will Always Be Edible, was a site specific surrealist view of the life cycle which brought together dance, painting and music by artists in the community. Gina is owner of the Halo Building in downtown Lafayette, an 8,000 square foot building which houses several artistic businesses including her own, The Ballet Académie, where she is director and instructor. She has just completed the first draft of a novel, The Sparrow On My Tongue.

Who makes up your art circle?

There are the obvious — other choreographers, dancers, fellow teachers, my students, fellow writers — and there are also those at events like ArtWalk who show up for support and appreciation and those that come to my shows for the same reason. I occasionally get random people telling me they still think about a show I did years ago — a neighbor, stranger, a “non-artist” not in my circle — and I realize my circle is larger than I even understand. And there’s also all the books on various subjects that sit on my desk and teach, guide, inspire, provoke.

How do you expand your art circle?

Collaboration inherently forces you to expand. Creating a visual experience requires not just the dancers or talent in front of the audience but also lighting technicians, musicians, costume designers, graphic designers, photographers, behind-the-scenes talent. My work almost always includes the above and I look out for those and other local, interesting people to inspire, contribute, advise, push me forward or even pull me back if necessary.

What value do you see in having a creative community?

Curiosity. To be creative is to be curious, ask questions, which implies looking for answers as opposed to assuming you have them. This is what leads to open-mindedness, empathy, understanding, knowledge, inspiration. A creative community can implement these things in all aspects of life, whether “artistic” or not. A curious, creative community is breathtaking when found. I want our community to be breathtaking. It’s what I strive to contribute.

How does your artistic approach contribute to your community?

I usually can’t start a project without asking a question of myself. It may be something I keep to myself, but in the end I try to give value to what someone is observing or hearing or reading so that they might walk away with at the least a mindset of questioning, exploration or creativity. Even if it supposedly has nothing to do with my art, if someone walks away in rumination, even if it’s about why the chairs were uncomfortable, well that’s still good for the community.