We had the good fortune of connecting with Haylee Nichele and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Haylee, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I started dancing at the age of 4 and have never stopped. For many years I pigeon-holed myself as a “dancer” and then I discovered Immersive Theatre and a new world, a new language, and a new way of connecting to people opened up. I did not choose an artistic or creative career it chose me.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have been working in Immersive Theatre/Experiences since 2011. I am a dancer and my first job after graduating from Juilliard was at Sleep No More by Punchdrunk. It was here that my career’s trajectory as a professional dancer took a hard left. I was bitten by the immersive bug and have been working in this way ever since. This led me to performing and collaborating with Third Rail Projects, Heidi Duckler, Justin Denton, The Speakeasy Society, Capital W, Tender Claws, and now am transitioning to more creative roles and consulting in this field. Working in this field is never easy, pushing the boundaries of human narrative connection, and always searching for and utilizing the next way of connecting with people can sometimes be exhausting but also rewarding and exhilarating.

Dancers are tenacious creatures, we are trained at a very young age that when a challenge presents itself, hustle, go to work, ask for advice or help, and keep showing up for yourself and your peers. The one lesson I’ve learned by existing in this field for 10 years is support your peers, buy a ticket, uplift their voices, if you show up for them, they will show up for you.

If you know me then you know I’ve had a career in dance, which has turned into acting, which has turned into acting with tech (VR and AR) hybrids, and now I am in creation with my 5WF team building an AR immersive hybrid performance. You can check our development here: https://mayfly.live/ !

The one thing I’d like the world to know about my story is that I am a dancer, I am a creator, and I’ve witnessed multiple times the power immersive theatre has on audiences/guests/participants/players. Story is a universal unifier and approaching story though immersive mediums uplifts narrative.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

In LA, I’m going to imagine we are not in a pandemic. I’d take my friend to eat at my favourite local restaurant Akasha in Culver City (if you’ve never been, I highly recommend it), the Grand Central market in DTLA, the Mar Vista farmers Market, and Gjusta because who doesn’t love a good slice of pizza on a cute patio.

For things to do we’d be sure to do the Roguelike Tavern’s puzzle box (you can check it out here: https://www.theroguelike.com/puzzlebox ), maybe catch The Nest by Scout Expedition Co. (find a ticket here: http://www.thenestshow.com/ ), bike along the Ballona Creek path down to the beach, hike Solstice Canyon, and if there’s a day of rain take them indoor climbing as Sender One LAX (my happy place).

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
A huge shout out to the People who believed in me when I was not able to believe in myself: Justin Denton, Kate Watson-Wallace, my little sister Zoe, my 5WF teammates, and my partner Mike. AND if you are into immersive theatre or connecting people to story on a deep level check out “The End Of Storytelling” by Stephanie Riggs, this book is brilliant!

Website: hayleenichele.com

Instagram: @hayleenichele1

Twitter: @hayleenichele1

Other: I teach two donation based classes a week! Bedtime Stretches on Wednesday nights and Pilates Mat & Conditioning Friday Mornings. email me though my website to join 🙂 current project: https://mayfly.live/

Image Credits
Headshot by Maxwell Mason Mayfly hero image by Manny Marquez CREATURE flyer image by Justin Denton CREATURE Still by Sean Deckert Black and White photo by Sean Deckert

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.