The life of a dancer is filled with routine and countless hours of practice. Add being a student, and it can seem like an overwhelming amount of work. Despite the adversity, Haley Belle Hearron continues to wow audiences with her dancing and choreography.

Hearron is a junior elementary education major at ULM who pursued a minor in dance when it was offered. 

Hearron said she started dancing nearly as soon as she started walking. Her mother, a former member of the ULM Warbonnets, helped cement Hearron’s interest and passion in dancing.

“She definitely pushed me to dance in college, but it was a good push,” Hearron said. “I was also doing softball, basketball and swimming, but nothing quite compared to the way dance made me feel.”

ULM proved to be the perfect place for Hearron to use her love of dance. She spent two years on the ULM Hawkline and served as co-captain as a sophomore. She has since choreographed numerous halftime performances for football games and both fall and spring fusion dances for the repertory ensemble.

Hearron said her favorite pieces to choreograph are kick routines for football games and jazz pieces. She can express herself through her choreography by adding her personality into every movement of the piece. Hearron said that as a dancer, she can show audiences a different side of herself. On the stage, she entertains people by “showing them something they have never seen before.”

“Since I love sassy jazz, I see it come alive in all of my dances that I make up because it’s fun and upbeat,” Hearron said. “I think I’m more of a happy and upbeat person.”

Hearron played a large role in the 2022 PREP staff. She created the entire dance that later placed second at the Southern Regional Orientation Workshop. Hearron said this was her first time choreographing a piece where her performers were not trained dancers.

“Once they got it, I was so proud and excited to see how much they loved doing it,” Hearron said.

Hearron uses her experience in education and dance to give back to the community. She is the coach of Sterlington High School’s dance team. She choreographs all its routines and hopes to inspire young dancers to have the same passion for dance she does.