Photo: @haileyjade_xoxoxo on Instagram
Over 100 teenagers, kids, and adults, stood in line waiting for a chance to audition for Lin Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights movie. 9 year old dancer Hailey Jade Panchame was optimistic after auditioning with her friends Bella and Lucas when she saw the Choreographer Christopher Scott and assistant choreographers throw their Post It Notes in the air because they were so impressed.
"He gave us a big speech to keep doing what we’re doing, and to be friends forever. That hit me and from that day on for auditions, I think of that moment and imagine that happening again,” she said.
"Carnaval Del Barrio" was the most rehearsed number according to Panchame due to the amount of people in the scene and the multiple camera transitions. She loved seeing everybody come together to represent Hispanic culture. In fact, her favorite behind the scenes moment happened during the filming of "Carnaval Del Barrio".
“Lin started crying. He was in shock when he saw everybody dancing and singing. I was like is that Lin Manuel crying? He said I’m so proud of you. This is going to be amazing and that touched my heart,” she said.
Hailey remembers Lin was on set during the filming of “96,000” as well where she had a featured freestyle section dancing on top of a park table. She admits she was nervous and felt a bit of pressure to perform perfectly but Lin was always very kind.
Behind the scenes of filming "96,000." Photo courtesy of Hailey Jade Panchame.
“Seeing him see us doing something that he made, I felt like I had to do it amazing. He said oh you guys killed that, even if we messed up,” she said.
Hailey Jade Panchame and Lin Manuel Miranda. Photo courtesy of Hailey Jade Panchame.
Through the long hours of rehearsals and filming, the cast became like a family on set and it really translated on screen. When working with Leslie Grace during “When You’re Home,” Hailey remembers hugging Leslie.
“That hug didn’t even feel like it was going to be placed on camera, it felt like a natural hug. It’s an amazing memory that I have with Leslie. They were all like their characters. Like Anthony, he is so sweet, kind, and genuine, in and outside of the movie,” she said.
It was also her favorite scene to film because she got to bond with the rest of the dancers. It spontaneously started raining, and everybody put on ponchos.
A musical number she loves to replay is the Club Scene because of the choreography. At first, she didn’t know it was part of the musical. The Latin and mambo dance sections were done by Eddie Torres Jr. and Princess Serrano.
“Eddie taught us salsa. I’ve never known how to do any of those moves really. I was quite nervous actually but we made jokes with it and it was just so incredible,” she said. “Chris (Scott) has amazing choreography. He’s always telling me to keep on dancing, to keep on doing me cause I’m going to go somewhere in life. He’s an amazing person who has a kind heart.”
While filming In the Heights, Hailey learned to not be nervous. Looking back at the "Carnaval Del Barrio" number, she can tell she was nervous because the camera was there. If she were to refilm the scene now, she would focus on enjoying the moment.
She loved working with Director Jon M Chu who she described as amazing and down to earth. She also met his family during one of the shoots and they were friendly and supportive as well.
Hailey Jade Panchame with Director Jon M. Chu and Bella Iannelli. Photo courtesy of Hailey Jade Panchame.
The message she would like audiences to take away from In the Heights is to be supportive, kind, and caring.
“The same way that everybody was so supportive during this movie. Also to respect your elders. You have to respect everybody that’s around you and who cares about you,” she said.
Photo courtesy of Hailey Jade Panchame.
Getting to finally attend the premiere was surreal to Panchame who had been waiting for two years to watch In the Heights in theaters. She got to reunite with the cast and watched the movie at least 4 times. A heartwarming moment for her was seeing everyone celebrate and sing as they watched back the musical numbers they worked so hard to bring to life.
Hailey started dancing at three years old, but she recalls getting a standing ovation at 6 after performing her first contemporary solo. After that, she decided to focus on dance and pursue career opportunities. She is constantly learning and taking classes from choreographers who inspire her like Tricia Miranda.
“She’s definitely helped me with musicality, grooving and she got me out of my comfort zone,” she said.
One of Hailey’s live performances was with Nicki Minaj for the 2017 Billboard Music Awards. At the time, she was very young and was familiar with Nicki Minaj. However, now as a super fan, she would be too starstruck to dance for her. She was fascinated with the rehearsals, and the choreography, which was also done by Tricia Miranda so she felt right at home.
Another career highlight for her was being a part of ABC’s live action Little Mermaid show with John Stamos, Auli'i Carvalho, Queen Latifah, and Jonah Hauer King. In fact, she was so nervous, the night before she didn’t go to sleep until 4 am.
Hailey Jade and the Little Mermaid dance crew with John Stamos.// Photo by @haileyjade_xoxoxo on Instagram.
“When it came to the actual live performance it was so great. We saw everything before we started filming and went live. It was insane how they did the props and how they switched things around in less than a second,” she said.
Hailey Jade and Auli'i Cravalho behind the scenes of ABC's The Little Mermaid. // Photo by @haileyjade_xoxoxo on Instagram.
Having also appeared on Nickelodeon’s Lip Sync Battle Shorties, she designed the set and concept for her battle set to Camila Cabello’s "Havana," after getting approval from Camila of course.
Her advice for young dancers who may want to pursue it as a career is to not be afraid to put yourself out there and prove that you are the best at whatever you want to do.
“Care about what you’re doing and what you’re showing up for but don’t care about anybody who’s doubting you inside their head saying oh this girl sucks or this boy sucks. Do what you love, live your life, and don’t let anybody stop you from what you’re doing,” she said.
Hailey Jade on set filming In the Heights. // Photo by @haileyjade_xoxoxo on Instagram.
Although she is currently filming an upcoming movie as a dancer, Panchame still finds time to develop her skills as a choreographer by releasing concept videos. During her choreography process, she focuses on the beat more than lyrics and tends to create her best work at the last minute.
Watch the full video interview here: