Photo By Evan Musgrave
There isn’t a type of dance that Danielle Jolie Dale-Hancock hasn’t yet mastered. Ballet? Check. Tap? Check. Jazz, ballroom and modern dance? You bet!
This former Radio City Rockette has spent most of her life performing around the world and today she’s passing her knowledge onto students at Lynn University in Boca Raton, where she serves as assistant professor and director of theater productions.
While it’s common for schools to offer musical theater degrees, there aren’t many that teach multiple styles of dance. And thanks to Dale-Hancock, Lynn is one of the few that does.
“You have to be a triple threat, and we are teaching triple threats,” she says.
Dale-Hancock should know.
She’s danced in Asia and Europe and worked relentlessly performing in Broadway shows. Dale-Hancock held the coveted titles of Radio City Rockette and New York Knicks Dancer, successfully juggling both jobs at the same time. A Rockette for 18 years, she was one of the first African American women to join the dance company and was the first person of color to serve as dance captain.
After she and her husband, Michael, became parents, Dale-Hancock decided she needed a career change that would allow more family time. They eventually found themselves in South Florida, where Connor, 13, now plays soccer and McKenzie, 16, dances like her mother. On weekends, the family enjoys boating.
“I’m the only Rockette and Broadway performer to have a fishing license,” she says with a laugh.
Dale-Hancock may be 51 years old, but her body is likely in better shape than many women half her age. She credits pilates as the secret to her toned physique and those legendary Rockettes legs. She teaches the workout in her pilates studio, VIP Pilates, in East Boca Raton.
Her mental health is also important, which is why she starts each day at 5 a.m. with meditation and an easy jog.
“I lead a beautiful life, and I want to embrace it every morning,” she says. “That’s what I hope to give when I go to work. I want to give that back. It inspires me to do more.”