Hannah Gerrard
How faith during lockdown led to a renewal in identity, purpose and creative joy.
Hannah Gerrard is a professional dancer, performer, and artist who completed her vocational training in Warrington. She is another of our young applicants this year and has an impressive international career. She has performed across Europe with prestigious companies including Ballet Do Douro (Portugal), The London Ballet Company, Soundscape (Denmark), and Oddments Theatre Company, with notable roles including Odette/Odile, Mother Superior, and a Von Trapp child.
Outside her performance work, Hannah co-founded Breath of Dance with her mother Nicola Gerrard and colleague Emma Jackson, a creative initiative bringing stories to life through live music and dance. Through her multi-faceted artistic practice, Hannah demonstrates a commitment to using dance as a vehicle for storytelling and exploring identity. Her work bridges classical ballet with contemporary practice, creating transformative experiences for audiences. Hannah’s artistic journey reveals that dance is not simply about technical achievement, but about connection, purpose, and discovering who we truly are.
About the talk
Hannah’s talk will share her personal journey, from childhood dreams of becoming a professional ballerina through the unexpected challenge of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. She will explore how, in her darkest moments confined at home during a pivotal time in her career, her faith sustained her and helped her discover her true identity and purpose. Rather than viewing lockdown as an obstacle, Hannah will reveal how this disruption became a turning point for deeper self-understanding. Through honest reflection and personal storytelling, she will invite audiences to consider their own defining moments and how faith and belief can guide us through life’s greatest challenges.
Interesting Facts
Interesting thing about you that people won’t know
I am a competent trombone player and did consider applying for music college rather than dance college.
What achievement makes you most proud?
Despite the immense challenges of doing my vocational dance training in lockdown, I managed to perform the dream role of Odette/Odile in my graduate year show – Swan Lake, a moment I will never forget. This was the epitome of redemption after what was an incredibly demanding time.
What do you get up to in your spare time?
I love catching up with friends over coffee, going to church and getting outdoors. I am very active and so like to go to the gym to complement my training. I also like making things, different crafts and embroidery.
If you weren’t doing what you’re doing now, what would you be doing instead?
I would have done either a music or theology degree. So, either a professional trombonist or something to do with history and theology.