Arts Abroad: Building a Sustainable International Dance Career is a 4-part online series for dancers curious about what it really takes to live and work abroad. Through honest conversation and mentorship, we’ll explore how to build sustainable, creative lives across borders.
Hearing how others have navigated their journeys can be one of the most powerful ways to learn and feel inspired — which is why I’ve invited guest speakers who have built meaningful international careers and communities. Each speaker offers a unique perspective on what it means to take creative risks, cross borders, and grow as an artist in the global dance world. to share their own experiences.
Meet the Guest Speakers
Girish Kumar Rachappa
Girish Kumar Rachappa is a dancer and choreographer originally from India. He holds diplomas from the Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts in Bangalore (2015–2017) and the Contemporary Dance School Hamburg (2017–2020). Since 2017, he has been part of the Eurasia Dance Project International Network.
In 2019, he was awarded an Artistic Residency at Studio Wayne McGregor in London for his solo project, while also studying with the company as part of Eurasia.
As a freelance artist, Girish has collaborated with companies including HDC – Hamburg Dance Company, The Current Dance Collective, and Dancing Beasts Company. His choreographic works include Sanatana (Gdansk Solo Dance Contest, 2020), prāṇa (Hamburg, 2021), PASSAGE (San Luis Potosí, 2022), and Shakti (Hamburg, 2022).
From 2022 to 2024, he was part of the TANZ_KASSEL ensemble, where he choreographed Panchajanya and co-choreographed Entitled 814. In 2024, Girish joined the Cullberg Dance Company, working with Renan Martin, Ligia Lewis, Alma Söderberg, and Hooman Sharifi.
“Coming from an engineering background, choosing to become a dancer was far from the norm where I grew up. My curiosity and drive to explore led me to study at Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts in Bangalore, which became the foundation of my dance journey. Moving abroad was not easy, especially having never lived outside my country, but a video audition through the Eurasia Dance Project International Network opened the door to Hamburg, Germany.
The beginning was challenging financially, socially, and culturally, but I learned to step out of my shell and stay curious. I constantly reached out to artists who had also moved abroad, and one key lesson I learned was: never be afraid to approach people, show genuine interest, and keep applying for opportunities. Every conversation and connection counts.
This journey eventually led me to work as a freelance dancer, teacher, and choreographer, then as a company dancer at Tanz Kassel, Staatstheater, and now with Cullberg Dance Company in Stockholm.”
Kyra Hauck
Kyra Hauck is the Paris-based Artistic Director of Danse Theatre SURREALITY (DTS), is a pluri-disciplinary choreographer, dancer, and teacher who just celebrated a decade of artistic life in France. A dual citizen of the United States and France, she naturalized in 2022.
In 2017, Kyra performed in a work directed by Lauren Hlubny, and together they founded DTS the same year. Her work is dynamic, feminist, and deeply physical—blending styles from classical ballet to contemporary dance, modern, and contact improvisation.
She has choreographed and performed in Paris, Lille, New York, Chicago, and Detroit, training with master teachers across Europe and the U.S. A holistic healer and teaching artist, Kyra brings a unique sensibility to her practice, fusing movement, body awareness, and energy work.
Her company’s latest production, Shadowboxing in Blue (2024), was developed during a residency at Haven Boxing Gym in Brooklyn, NY, before touring to Paris in June 2025 and running in New York throughout October 2025.
“Moving abroad is like a two-way prism. It’s both a source of opening and focus. It’s been the single greatest factor in my growth as an artist, allowing me to express my creativity with ease and authenticity.”
Casey Herd
Casey Herd is a former principal ballet dancer, choreographer, teacher, and the visionary founder of Ballet Rising, a Netherlands-based nonprofit expanding access to ballet around the world.
Casey began his training at The School for Ballet West and graduated from the KirovAcademy of Ballet in Washington, D.C.
His professional career began at American Ballet Theatre,followed by Pacific Northwest Ballet, where he rose to principal dancer, and later Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam.
Throughout his distinguished career, Casey performed as a guest principal with companies including San Francisco Ballet, English National Ballet, Royal New Zealand Ballet, Lithuanian National Ballet, and Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo. He has danced works by Wayne McGregor, Alexei Ratmansky, Christopher Wheeldon, John Neumeier, and Twyla Tharp, among many others.
Since retiring from principal roles in 2018, Casey has continued performing as a character artist with Dutch National Ballet, while teaching, choreographing, and judging competitions worldwide. Inspired by his global experiences, he founded Ballet Rising, a nonprofit dedicated to fostering connection and opportunity in underserved dance communities.
“I was living a comfortable life in the US when the opportunity to move to Europe came up. I had to seriously question whether I was ready to just be comfortable in life and in my career or whether I wanted to take on such a challenge. In the end, I knew the answer all along—and I never looked back.”
Each of these artists shows that building a life in dance abroad isn’t just possible — it’s transformative. Their stories remind us that growth happens when we take risks, stay curious, and connect across borders.
Don’t miss your chance to be part of Arts Abroad: Building a Sustainable International Dance Career — a space to learn, ask questions, and gain real insight into what it takes to thrive internationally as an artist.
Register today to join us on this journey.
Briana
“You don’t know if you don’t try.”
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