In the competitive landscape of American entertainment, Canadian talent has consistently distinguished itself through a unique blend of technical precision, cultural adaptability, and collaborative spirit. Hayden Rivas, the 22-year-old multidisciplinary artist from South Surrey, British Columbia, exemplifies this tradition while charting an entirely new course for what Canadian dance excellence can achieve on the global stage.
Since graduating from USC’s prestigious Glorya Kaufman School of Dance in 2024 with both a BFA in Dance and a Master of Studies in Law, Rivas has built an extraordinary portfolio that spans the most prestigious venues and platforms in North American entertainment. From the Joyce Theatre in New York City to Disney film sets, from Jacob’s Pillow to international film festivals, his trajectory represents the evolution of Canadian artistry in the 21st century.
Technical Mastery Meets Artistic Vision
What sets Rivas apart in an industry saturated with technically proficient dancers is his ability to seamlessly integrate precision with storytelling innovation. His foundational training, combined with mentorship under luminaries such as Kyle Abraham and Patrick Corbin at USC, has created an artist who approaches each project as what he calls “a creative problem-solver.”
“I feel what makes me special, what I bring to producers and directors, is a performer who can pivot quickly without losing quality,” Rivas explains. “USC Kaufman instilled in me that versatility isn’t just about mastering different dance styles—it’s about being the performer who can seamlessly adapt to whatever the project demands.”
This adaptability has become his signature in an industry that increasingly values artists who can cross boundaries. Whether shifting from contemporary to hip-hop within the same piece or adjusting choreographic intent mid-rehearsal, Rivas brings what he describes as “full authenticity to both” while maintaining the choreographer’s original vision.
Hayden Rivas. © Hannah Doerr
From Disney Sets to Broadway Stages
Rivas’s professional journey began with a breakthrough role in Disney’s Descendants 3, where he worked alongside legendary director and choreographer Kenny Ortega. This experience, working as one of only ten youth performers cast as a chorus performer, provided crucial insights into how excellence translates across different mediums.
“Kenny Ortega taught me that excellence means bringing story to every movement,” Rivas reflects. “Being on that set was my lightbulb moment—I was doing exactly what I loved most while getting paid for it, surrounded by other passionate artists contributing to something meaningful.”
The experience crystallized his understanding that dance wasn’t merely a passion but a foundation for building a legitimate, financially sustainable career. More importantly, it taught him to think cinematically, understanding how to maintain character consistency across multiple takes while adapting energy for different camera requirements.
This cinematic sensibility has informed all his subsequent work, from his award-winning film “the construct of one”—which earned honors at Dance Camera West, Fuselage Film Festival, F.O.R.M., and the PNB Film Festival—to his groundbreaking work in “Body of Mine VR,” which won a flurry of awards including: SXSW Film & TV Festival 2023 Winner, Producers’ Guild of America Innovation Award, La Biennale Di Venezia 2023, and a finalist in the VR Awards to name a few.
Hayden Rivas
Concert Dance Excellence
Rivas’s concert dance achievements represent some of the highest honors available to North American performers. His work with Kyle Abraham’s A.I.M company, where he originated and performed “5 Minute Dance: You Drivin'” at the Joyce Theatre in New York City, established him as a serious concert dance artist capable of handling the most demanding contemporary repertoire.
His ability to embody diverse choreographic voices—from Jiří Kylián’s neoclassical precision to contemporary innovators like Christopher Wheeldon, Tiffany Bong, Doug Varone, and Jason Rodgers—demonstrates how Canadian artists can excel when given access to world-class training environments like USC Kaufman. Each collaboration has added layers to his artistic vocabulary while maintaining the authentic voice that makes his performances distinctive.
“These mediums enhance each other: dance gives physical life to emotion, film controls how that story unfolds visually, and theater weaves it all into narrative structure,” Rivas explains, describing his integrated approach to performance across platforms.
Hayden Rivas
Musical Theatre Innovation
The breadth of Rivas’s musical theatre work showcases his ability to excel in this uniquely demanding discipline that requires simultaneous mastery of dance, vocals, and acting. His recent performances span from classical musicals to contemporary works in development, each requiring different skill sets and artistic sensibilities.
His role understudying and performing King Agnarr in one of the first regional productions of Frozen demonstrated his ability to contribute to reimagining established works for new contexts. This production essentially reinvented what audiences had experienced in the Broadway and touring versions, requiring artists who could honor the source material while bringing fresh interpretation to familiar roles. His participation in Jacob’s Pillow Musical Theatre Department—where he workshopped three musicals in development—showcased his value as a collaborator in the creative development process.
His current work in the ensemble of an abridged version of Beetlejuice aboard Norwegian Cruise Lines represents another facet of his musical theatre excellence. Under the direction of Broadway associate Catie Davis and featuring original Broadway choreography by Connor Gallagher, this production maintains the artistic integrity of the Tony-nominated musical while adapting to the unique demands of shipboard performance, demonstrating his continued commitment to live performance excellence even as his career expands into film, technology, and advocacy work.
Hayden Rivas. © Evelyn Wong
Mentorship and Cultural Leadership
True to the Canadian tradition of community investment, Rivas has committed significant energy to developing the next generation of artists. His role as faculty at Francisco Gella’s Preprofessional Dance Institute represents a full-circle moment—having participated as a student in 2019, he returned in 2024 as a mentor to pre-professional dancers from across North America.
“Having experienced PDI as a student myself in 2019, returning as faculty in 2024 felt like completing a circle,” Rivas reflects. “These young dancers remind me of my own journey navigating that crucial transition toward professional dance. There’s something powerful about working with artists who are at that pivotal moment where they’re deciding whether to pursue dance professionally—you can see their entire future shifting as they gain confidence and clarity about their path.”
His judging work for EncoreDCS and mentoring responsibilities reflect a commitment to fostering excellence that extends beyond personal achievement—a characteristic often associated with Canadian cultural leadership.
Hayden Rivas
Innovation at the Intersection of Art and Technology
Rivas’s work in emerging technologies positions him at the forefront of how dance will evolve in the digital age. His choreography and principal performance in “Body of Mine VR” represent pioneering work in virtual reality dance, earning recognition at both SXSW and the Venice Biennale—two of the world’s most prestigious platforms for technological and artistic innovation.
“Creating ‘the construct of one’ taught me that I could control every aspect of the narrative,” he explains. “From concept to final edit, I was able to explore how movement translates through the camera lens in ways that live performance can’t achieve. The festival recognition was validating, but the real revelation was discovering my voice as a filmmaker and understanding how dance can be reimagined for different mediums.”
This multidisciplinary approach—combining performance excellence with creative direction and technological innovation—represents the kind of boundary-crossing artistry that Canadian artists are increasingly known for internationally.
Legal Advocacy and Industry Reform
Perhaps most uniquely, Rivas has combined his artistic career with serious legal education, earning his Master of Studies in Law with a Media and Entertainment Law Certificate alongside his dance degree. This unusual combination reflects his commitment to systemic change within the entertainment industry.
“The entertainment industry operates on legal frameworks that most artists never learn about until it’s too late,” he observes. “I realized that understanding contracts, protecting creative work, and knowing your rights aren’t luxuries for successful artists—they’re necessities for survival. My goal is to bridge that knowledge gap and ensure the next generation of performers can advocate for themselves from day one.”
Upon graduation, he worked as an Associate Manager at PILOT MGMT, which allowed him to apply this knowledge directly, supporting other artists while building expertise in talent representation and career development.
A New Model for Canadian Cultural Export
Rivas represents a new generation of Canadian artists who refuse to be limited by traditional industry categories. His success across film, television, musical theater, concert dance, and emerging technologies demonstrates what he calls his “multifaceted superpower”—the ability to excel across multiple platforms while maintaining artistic integrity.
“The industry keeps evolving, and I believe artists who can adapt across multiple disciplines will be the ones who thrive,” he explains. “Rather than seeing my diverse interests as distractions from dance, I’ve found they actually enhance each other. My legal knowledge makes me a better collaborator, my film experience improves my stage presence, and my performance background brings authenticity to everything I create.”
This philosophy challenges traditional industry thinking that demands specialization, instead embracing the kind of versatility and adaptability that has long characterized Canadian cultural contributions to international entertainment.
The Canadian Advantage
Backed by representation from Bloc LA and NYC, along with daCosta Talent in Vancouver, Rivas has assembled a team that understands his versatility and can strategically position him for opportunities across multiple markets and mediums. His upcoming collaborations with Emmy-winning choreographer Al Blackstone on projects spanning musical theater, live performance, and film adaptations promise to further establish his international presence.
“The work will span an exciting range, including musical theater, live performance, and adaptations of major film series, which perfectly aligns with my multifaceted background and passion for storytelling across different mediums,” he notes.
His current international touring experience provides a global perspective that enriches his artistry while establishing Canada’s continued relevance in international entertainment markets.
Defining Excellence for a New Generation
For Rivas, excellence means more than technical proficiency—it requires what he describes as being “detail-obsessed while never losing sight of the bigger story.” This approach combines the meticulous preparation characteristic of Canadian training with the narrative sophistication needed for contemporary storytelling across all mediums.
“I’m that dancer who notices when the angle of a shoulder changes, but I also understand how my eight counts fit into the full eight-minute piece and the show’s overall arc,” he explains. “What drives all of this is my genuine obsession—dance isn’t work for me, it’s this endlessly fascinating puzzle where movement, music, and meaning intersect.”
This perspective—treating each project as an artistic puzzle to be solved rather than merely a technical challenge to be conquered—represents the kind of thoughtful artistry that distinguishes the highest level of Canadian cultural contribution.
As Rivas continues to build his international career while maintaining strong ties to Canadian training institutions and emerging artists, he exemplifies the evolution of Canadian excellence in dance: technically uncompromising, culturally informed, technologically innovative, and deeply committed to community development.
His journey from South Surrey studios to international stages offers a blueprint for Canadian artists who refuse to limit their vision, proving that with sufficient preparation, adaptability, and commitment to excellence, there are no boundaries to what Canadian talent can achieve on the world stage.
Hayden Rivas continues to tour internationally while developing projects across multiple platforms. He can be followed on Instagram and his work can be viewed on his website and IMDb.
