BOCA RATON, Fla. — Chances are you'll hear her before you see her; but make no mistake, Danielle Dale-Hancock has never been one for the background.
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"Six shows a day. That's what I used to do. So this is easy," said Dale-Hancock.
When she's not teaching dance at Lynn University, the pintsize powerhouse is down the road at her pilates studio, also in Boca Raton. It's there she proudly display mementos of her time as one of the first African American Rockette's and later the first African American dance captain of the famed troupe; passing up a run with the predominately Black Dance Company, Alvin Ailey.
"I had already done the concert world that I was raised in. I had done that a lot," said Dale-Hancock.
In her 20s, the decision to dance at Radio City Music Hall made her a focal point, even though she performed with two other firsts— an Asian and Latin American dancer hired around the same time.
"(It was a matter of) Who always gets chosen. Who doesn't get chosen and you're always the token one," said Dale-Hancock.
Though not the same color, the veteran dancer said the camaraderie was second to none. That same experience and stamina she now taps into her students. At 54, Dale-Hancock is planted in her calling as to train up the next batch of diverse dancers.
"Now, I don't put makeup on. I make them sweat," said Dale-Hancock.
