Hannah Alissa Richardson is living out her childhood dream — and she's only 24

When Hannah Alissa Richardson first saw the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Toronto over ten years ago, she saw the future she wanted to be part of.

Now, she's dancing in her inaugural season with the company, as their 65th anniversary tour kicks off in Toronto. Hannah sat down with Tom Power to share how her journey in dance got started, and what this moment means to her.

We've included an excerpt of their conversation below, edited for length and clarity. You can hear their full conversation from today's episode available on our podcast, Q with Tom Power.

Tom: This is an amazing story, the idea that this is also your first performance as a full-fledged member of the Alvin Ailey—

Hannah: Well, first performance on tour; we had performances last December in New York City Center for four weeks, but this will be our first stop on tour.

Tom: So this is your first performance away from your home base,

Hannah: Yeah.

Tom: And it's at the same theater, on the same stage where you saw the Alvin Ailey troupe for the first time when you were 13?

Hannah: Yes.

Tom: Is that hitting you at all?

Hannah: You know what? Hearing it out loud from someone else, that's incredible. It's a full circle moment...all the years that I've put into dancing to get to where I am today. Being with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater was a dream of mine. And I'm here, I'm doing it and I'm living it. So, it means a lot.

Tom: How did your parents or you first hear about Alvin Ailey?

Hannah: I think my parents, when they found out that dance is what I wanted to do at a young age, around ten [years old], they did some research and they found this dance company based in New York City, and they loved New York City. And, it was predominantly an African-American black dance company, which also intrigued their interest as well. And it just so happened that they were actually coming to Toronto that following February to perform here. And then we got our tickets, and then we went to the Sony Center, now Meridian Hall, and we watched them for the very first time, and then we were all hooked.

Tom: What do you remember?

Hannah: I was very young, but I remember sitting center in the balcony, and I saw all these beautiful bodies just moving onstage. I'd never been to a dance concert before that was strictly just dancing. I've been in dance competitions and recitals, but not like a professional company just dancing. And I'd seen dancers dance behind backgrounds for artists or a background on TV, but nothing just dance. So just seeing that, and seeing that that could be a profession for me, that was incredible. And just seeing dancers who looked like me, I could just relate to them and something sparked in me like, "okay, I can do this. I can dance for the rest of my life if I wanted to."

Tom: You were moved by the form, you were moved by the art, right? Because you had only ever seen dancers in the background, maybe a singer or something like that, but you had never seen it actually as its pure art form, which I can relate to you on. I didn't know anything about dance until I started doing this job, and then I went to the National Ballet or something, but I had never seen just dance before, right? I hadn't even played Just Dance before. But it is a stunning form. So you see that for the first time and, also, you notice that everybody on that stage looks like you. You feel something pretty deeply, then.

Hannah: A hundred percent, and I'm half Trinidadian and half Filipino, so I'm a mixed person of color. Seeing people who looked like me on stage, I was like, "wow, I can relate to that."

Tom: Do you mind if I ask how old you are now?

Hannah: I am 24.

Tom: And you were like 17 or 18 [years old] when you moved from the 'burbs to New York City?

Hannah: That's correct.

Tom: To go to the Ailey School. What is that like?

Hannah: Scary. I'm a family gal, I love spending time with my family. I need my mom, I need my dad and, I need my brothers. So moving from yes, the suburbs, to the Big Apple was really, really scary. But I was looking forward to the adventures that New York would bring me. And actually in my first year in New York, I moved in with my best friend from home.

Tom: Oh, wow.

Hannah: So we got a one-bedroom apartment, we put two twin beds in our little bedroom, and we went to New York City together for the first year.

Tom: What were those first classes like? Did you feel comfortable?

Hannah: You know what? I felt like a fish out of water but I feel like everyone's first year, they also felt like a fish out of water. So we're all just fish out of water together.

Tom: Yeah, the water was surrounding all of you. Because, I think it's worth mentioning for people who might have thought of the Ailey School as just a dance troupe, but it's a whole system of training and education, right?

Hannah: Yes. the Ailey organization, there's lots of realms within it. We have the Ailey school, they have many programs within that. They have a certificate program, which is what I graduated out of. They have a BFA Fordham program, which you can get your degree and dance at the same time...

Tom: What's all this like? Is it grueling?

Hannah: It's a lot of hard work, it's a lot of time, a lot of sacrifices, but it's fun. You go there because you want to dance and you want to learn and you want to grow. And that's exactly what I did.

You can also find today's episode on our podcast, Q with Tom Power. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.