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Hannah Colin Shares the Best Advice JoJo Siwa Gave Her While on Tour (Exclusive)

Hannah Colin has been pretty busy (and successful) since being a series regular on the eighth season of Dance Moms.

The 15-year-old landed lead roles in theater productions of Cinderella, Beauty and The Beast, Nutcracker in a Nutshell, and Annie Warbucks, all while competing in pageants, where she is currently a local title holder (Sellersburg, IN) in the Miss America Outstanding Teen Organization.

Most recently, the Hannah took her phenomenal dance techniques to the big stage as she was a backup dancer for JoJo Siwa on the D.R.E.A.M. Tour. If you recall, JoJo’s tour was the hottest ticket for girls, selling out arenas all over North America for months.

When sitting down with our reporters recently, Hannah opened up to us about her experience on the road, including the one thing she learned from being with JoJo.

“To perform on a stage next to JoJo [Siwa] with an arena full of little girls and their moms, aunts, and grandmas was such a powerful moment. You could feel the energy and excitement coming from the audience. Words can’t even describe it,” she recalls to Celeb Secrets about her experience. 

“The one thing I have learned from JoJo is to be authentically you. Don’t ever try to be someone else. LOVE yourself for who you are! JoJo has been who she is from the start and has never changed or tried to be someone else because someone didn’t like the way she was. You just have to remember to be ok in your own skin.”

TikTok is Freaking Out Over JoJo Siwa’s New Post for This Reason

In between working on new projects and preparing for the Miss Indiana’s Outstanding Teen pageant, Colin opens up about her experience on Dance Moms, dealing with bullies and more.

Keep scrolling to read the full Q&A below and don’t forget to follow Hannah on Instagram at @hannahgracecolin.

Eva Nys/Eva Nys Photography

Celeb Secrets: You act, sing, and dance — what initially sparked an interest in the arts?

Hannah Grace Colin: “I guess dance is where it all began. My mom (Ann Colin) owns a dance studio (DanceWorks) in southern Indiana, so I was born into dance. When I was 18 months old, one of the teachers asked mom if she would put me in her class and she did. It wasn’t until I was older that I realized how much I LOVED to perform. So I started voice lessons and auditioning for our local high school productions. Then one day I saw an open call in New York City and asked if I could go and off we went. I am so fortunate to come from a hometown with lots of arts opportunities, amazing high school theatre programs and the most supportive family. Without all of this, that initial spark might not have happened.”

CS: You recently toured with JoJo Siwa on Jojo’s Dream Tour—can you tell us a little bit about that experience?

HGC: “Oh my gosh, talk about a dream come true and AMAZING opportunity! Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would get to personally meet her, let alone perform on the stage with her. During the filming of Dance Moms, one of the episodes was about recreating JoJo’s iconic solos from past seasons. If you didn’t know, she is also a former cast member of Dance Moms. Anyway, that week she showed up as a surprise guest for the episode to give pointers. At the competition, before we competed, she told us that she was going to watch our performance and pick a couple of us to perform with her on Tour. At the end of the evening JoJo invited the entire season 8 cast to perform in her DREAM Tour. 

To perform on a stage next to JoJo Siwa with an arena full of little girls and their moms, aunts, grandmas, etc… was such a powerful moment. You could feel the energy and excitement coming from the audience. Words can’t even describe it. JoJo is such a positive role model for girls. 

CS: Is there one thing you may have learned from JoJo or a favorite memory you share with her?

HGC: “It is so funny that you ask me that. The day JoJo surprised us on set filming Dance Moms was actually my birthday. All cool things aside, the one thing I have learned from JoJo is to be authentically you. Don’t ever try to be someone else. LOVE yourself for who you are! JoJo has been who she is from the start and has never changed or tried to be someone else because someone didn’t like the way she was. You just have to remember to be ok in your own skin.”

 

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A post shared by Hannah Colin (@hannahgracecolin)

CS: After having starred on Lifetime Television’s Dance Moms and played lead roles in productions such Cinderella, Beauty and The Beast, Nutcracker in a Nutshell, and Annie Warbucks, do you have a favorite moment on stage? Did you ever have any malfunctions backstage?

HGC: “My favorite moment on stage would have to be during the filming of Dance Moms. We were at Nationals, I was one of the leads for the group dance and we were in New York City. The stakes are high when you are a lead in the group dance for the ALDC. If the dance doesn’t win it is YOUR fault. You are the one responsible for leading the team to a WIN! We were performing a musical theatre routine based on the hit musical, The Prom. At the end of our routine confetti cannons went off, sprinkling confetti on us and the stage. It was a magical moment and to make that moment even better… We WON Nationals!!! Pretty cool way to finish the season on such a high. Our group dance won Nationals and I was one of the leads. I couldn’t have asked for a better ending to Dance Moms.

Most people don’t know this… During the filming of our dance for Episode 11 “Hannah Unmasked,” I was the lead in the group dance called “Stone Faced.” So for this dance, I wore a glitter mask on my face and at the end the other dancers removed my mask to reveal me. At competition we film our dances twice, the first time it is judged and the second time the camera man comes on the stage and follows us around for different angles for TV. Anyway, after the 1st performance and the mask was removed, part of the glitter came off and got inside my eye. Crazy right? My mom had to come backstage, we called our eye doctor from home, the glitter was removed and then I went back out to do the dance a second time with another mask. The show must always go on.

CS: What styles of dance do you prefer or have the most fun performing?

HGC: “I actually train in all styles of dance; ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, hip hop, acro and contemporary. My favorites are lyrical and tap. But I also really like hip hop too.”

 

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A post shared by Hannah Colin (@hannahgracecolin)

CS: You are passionate about raising awareness/coping with teens being bullied. Can you tell us more about your platform “battling bullies?”  What advice do you have for those being bullied?

HGC: “Being part of a reality TV show that is heavily produced and edited doesn’t always give the audience a true representation of who the cast members really are. On Dance Moms, I came across as quiet, shy, afraid to speak my mind and scared. Because of this, people who didn’t even know me made assumptions about me vocally on social media platforms. The things people said were very hurtful and at the time really upset me. It wasn’t until I went home from filming and talked to my family and friends that I was able to let it go. My friends and family reminded me of who I really was and they LOVED me just as I am. Now when people say or type mean and hurtful things about me, it doesn’t bother me too much. 

Bullying on social media platforms is a huge problem in the world today. It is easy for people to express their negative energy and hide behind their typed mean words. That is why I started my KINDness Wins movement. I wanted to tell my story and let others who have been through this or are currently going through this know that they are not alone. There will always be mean people in this world, what I want to do is teach others how to overcome bullies with KINDness. If we change the culture inside classrooms, social media platforms, your community, etc… to building each other up and being supportive, then we can come together and battle the bullies. You might be asking, how can we do this? Well, I have one word and four steps I share when talking with kids at dance and in classrooms.”

K. I. N. D. 

K Know Yourself – know who you are and don’t let what people say about you change the way you think about yourself.

I – Inspire Others – build each other up, point out the positives, create a better environment and culture.

N – Negotiate Problems – BE BRAVE, confront your bully with confidence, tell them you don’t like their behavior and you would appreciate it if they would STOP.

D – Discourage Intimidation – A bully wants to build themselves up by tearing you down, even if you are not being bullied you have to stand up for those who are and let the bullies know we will not tolerate them. 

This is a very relevant issue for teens and kids today. Even more so than in the past due to social media, phones and email being a big part of our generation. It’s a lot easier to say mean things behind the screen than in person. That is why I am so passionate about teaching others to spread kindness and make a change!”

CS: As an influencer, what do you find to be the biggest challenges with social media?

HGC: “Being an influencer is kind of like having a job. At first it was hard for me to balance being a working performer, school, training, auditions and social media. Now it is just second nature. What I had to do was become very good at time management. I also take being an influencer very seriously. I have a responsibility to be a positive role model for not only my fans but everyone.”

 

 

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A post shared by Hannah Colin (@hannahgracecolin)

CS: What are your goals for 2021? What exciting projects will you be working on?

HGC: “Well due to the Coronavirus, several projects that I can’t talk about yet have been delayed. So hopefully in 2021 I will be able to finish them. I started filming a movie called Camelot Farms that I am super excited for and can’t wait for everyone to see. I also am working on my music career and will be releasing some original music in 2021.

A huge goal of mine is to become the next Miss America’s Outstanding Teen. I am currently Miss Collegiate South’s Outstanding Teen and am preparing for the Miss Indiana’s Outstanding Teen Pageant, which is part of the Miss America Organization. This June I will compete for the title of Miss Indiana’s Outstanding Teen and after that, fingers crossed, Miss America’s Outstanding Teen. This organization empowers girls and would give me an even bigger voice to promote and advocate for teaching others how to overcome bullies, be kind to one another and simply make our world a better place once community at a time.” 

CS: Since we’re Celeb Secrets, do you have a secret or fun fact about yourself that our fans wouldn’t know about you?

HGC: “Something most people don’t know about me is I am not just a singer, I actually can play the bass guitar and ukulele, and I am currently learning how to play the acoustic guitar and piano.

Also, not only did my mom put me in dance when I was little, but at age 3 she put me in gymnastics and by 4 I was put on a USGA Junior Olympic Compulsory Team. I actually competed gymnastics for 8 years along with my dance. I would spend around 16-20 hours in the gym and 10-12 hours at dance in a week. Crazy right? When I decided to stop gymnastics and focus only on my dancing, I was a level 7 gymnast and during my competitive gymnastic years I was a State beam and floor champion numerous times. 

A fun fact about me is my favorite animal is a cow. I’m not really sure why but I have just always liked cows.” 

Author

  • Juliet Schroder

    Juliet is the founder and executive producer/host of Celeb Secrets and Celeb Secrets Country. When not reporting on the latest news in pop culture and country music, she enjoys traveling, spending time with friends and family, watching sports and exploring the latest fashion trends. Juliet holds a B.S. in marketing from St. John's University.

Juliet is the founder and executive producer/host of Celeb Secrets and Celeb Secrets Country. When not reporting on the latest news in pop culture and country music, she enjoys traveling, spending time with friends and family, watching sports and…

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