Erinn Heffes

The Lab Community

Erinn Heffes

Raised in Kingston, Jamaica, Erinn is a freelance dancer, choreographer, teacher, academic and storyteller. She began her dance journey at 3 years old at the studio InMotion located in Kingston, Jamaica. She trained in ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, hip-hop, modern and more. She later studied at the Tony Wilson Dance School and danced with Pepperdine University’s company; Dance in Flight, located in California. During her years at Dance in Flight, she honed not only her teaching and choreography skills, but also her creative and storytelling skills. Erinn led Dance in Flight as the Student Director through the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, and created a documentary entitled RAW discussing issues of racism, identity formation, loneliness, mental health, sustainability and more. The documentary was a space to show the power of dance beyond the stage and the impact movement can have as a form of communication. Movement has the capacity to heal, bridge gaps and communicate culture. At the present age of 25, Erinn spends her time exploring choreography and freelance teaching dancing to a variety of ages, while focusing on culture, art and dance from an academic perspective and how to preserve the authenticity of these art forms.