Hayley Meier

Background

About Hayley Meier

Hayley Meier is a dance artist, choreographer, and educator whose early training under Marilyn Schneider, Jamey Leverett, and Timothy M. Draper laid the groundwork for her professional career. She earned a BFA in Dance from the University of Arizona, where her exceptional artistry across all disciplines was recognized with the inaugural Hayley Meier Award in 2009. Hayley began her professional career with Rochester City Ballet under Leverett’s direction, performing for two seasons before joining River North Dance Chicago. Over five seasons with River North under Frank Chaves, she toured nationally and internationally, performing works by acclaimed choreographers including Adam Barruch, Ivan Perez, Kevin Iega Jeff, Mauro Astolfi, Randy Duncan, Robert Battle, and more. She later returned to the University of Arizona to earn her MFA, where she performed in repertory by Alexei Ratmansky, Darrell Grand Moultrie, George Balanchine, Jessica Lang, Larry Keigwin, and Nacho Duato. She was honored with the School of Dance’s Creative Achievement Award for her innovation, dedication, and artistry. Hayley is the founder of Body by Hayley Pilates, a virtual platform that makes Pilates accessible and community-centered, focusing on strength, alignment, and longevity. Her creative leadership has made the platform a respected model for accessible wellness in the arts. While on faculty at the University of Arizona, she contributed to StellarScape, a multimedia production that gained recognition at South by Southwest (SXSW) in 2022. That same year, she received the Arizona Arts Undergraduate Advising/Mentoring Award for her outstanding support of student artists. In 2024, her choreography gained notable attention:"The Phoenix" was performed by Nova Linea Contemporary Dance to critical acclaim;"The Beauty Within" received 1st runner-up Judge’s Choice at the Red Rock Dance Festival; and she presented "States of Form, Organized"- a collaborative piece with Jason Hortin - at Korea National Sport University as part of an international exchange with UNLV Dance. In 2025,"States of Form, Organized" was selected for the American College Dance Association Gala performance in San Marcos, Texas. As a repetiteur for Frank Chaves’ choreography, Hayley has staged works at the University of Arizona, Ballet Chicago, and American Midwest Ballet. She currently serves as a full-time Assistant Professor of Dance at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she continues to inspire, mentor, and lead in the field of dance and education.