At 22, Hayden Rivas has already packed more into his career than many performers see in a decade. The Canadian dancer, who now calls New York home, is currently bringing Beetlejuice to life aboard Norwegian Cruise Lines—a far cry from where his story began in South Surrey, British Columbia.
Rivas didn’t start out knowing he’d become a professional dancer. Like many kids, his parents shuffled him between activities—basketball, swimming, ice skating. “You name it, I probably tried it,” he recalls. But when he stepped onto a stage for his first dance recital, something clicked that would shape everything that followed.
“The moment I stepped onto that stage and felt the warmth of the lights on my face, something clicked,” Rivas says. That childhood moment of clarity sent him running to his parents afterward with an urgent declaration: “I NEED to keep doing this.”
What happened next reads like a masterclass in turning passion into profession. Rivas earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from USC’s Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, then added a Master of Studies in Law from USC’s Gould School of Law, completing both degrees in just four years. His legal focus? Entertainment and Media Law—a strategic choice that reflects his understanding of the business side of show business.
The combination has paid off. Rivas’s resume spans the entertainment spectrum, from working with industry veteran Kenny Ortega on Disney’s Descendants 3 to appearing on Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist and So You Think You Can Dance. In 2023, he performed as a guest artist with A.I.M by Kyle Abraham at The Joyce Theatre in New York, one of the city’s most prestigious dance venues.
His theatre credits include roles in Frozen at North Shore Music Theatre and Miracle on 34th Street at Surflight Theatre, along with workshops directed and choreographed by industry professionals Luis Salgado, Sekou McMiller, and Karla Puno Garcia.
Now, Hayden Rivas finds himself in an unusual workspace—floating stages in international waters. His current role in Beetlejuice aboard Norwegian Cruise Lines represents something different in the entertainment world: a chance to perform nightly for diverse audiences while literally traveling the globe.
His journey from working on Disney films to performing at New York’s most respected venues to now entertaining audiences on international waters illustrates how today’s performers are creating careers that don’t fit traditional molds. Rivas’s combination of artistic training and legal education positions him not just as a performer, but as someone who understands the industry from multiple angles.
What’s particularly striking about Rivas’s approach is how he’s refused to limit himself to one type of performance or venue. Concert dance, film and TV, musical theatre, cruise entertainment—he’s building a career that spans mediums and continents.
His legal background isn’t just academic either. The entertainment and media law certificate he earned alongside his dance degree reflects a growing trend among performers who want to understand contracts, rights, and the business aspects of their careers.
At 22, Rivas has already worked with Disney, performed at The Joyce Theatre, and is now doing eight shows a week on a cruise ship. It’s proof that the kid who ran off stage declaring “I NEED to keep doing this” has figured out how to do exactly that—by refusing to wait for someone else to create the perfect opportunity and instead building his own version of what a dance career can look like.
For more information about Hayden Rivas, visit his website, follow him on Instagram, or check out his IMDB page.
