Henning Washington (I) has been dancing for seven years, ever since he was introduced to the art form in the sixth grade. After finding love in the medium, he developed his skill by taking lessons. Recently, he founded his own dance program.
When Washington first began his dance journey, his school partnered with an organization that provided lessons to students. He stayed with the program up until his junior year, realizing that if he wanted to take dancing to the next level, he could not continue. He later ended up performing in a competition where he was able to keep practicing his craft.
Ever since Washington discovered dance, he has developed a keenness to art. To him, dance is more than just moves and choreography — it is his life. Washington remarks, “I am so lucky to have found my purpose in this world at a really young age.”
Raymond DuFauchard (III), a family friend of Washington, adds, “I’ve known Henning for a long time. [… I’d] often go to his shows or see him practice at family gatherings.”
Washington centered his Capstone project, which he researched and worked on for his entire senior year, around dance, and more specifically, hip-hop around Boston. He feels that it often goes unrecognized due to a lack of jobs in Boston and its proximity to New York, which has a bustling dance scene.
As part of his Capstone project, Washington founded Boston 4 Life Dance (B4L), which aims to bring awareness to local and emerging dancers. He also feels that people are sometimes warded off from dancing because of the skill gaps they may have with established dancers, which he strives to destigmatize through his program.
Washington ultimately wants B4L to go global, hoping to showcase to the entire world the creativity and zeal of dancers in Boston. But at the end of the day, the number does not really matter — it’s about the impact it causes. Washington explains, “If maybe even one person goes and takes a clacouss because they saw my website, that’ll be enough for me.”
In addition to dance, Washington also plays the viola and has performed at Music Night to showcase his skill.
In terms of the legacy he leaves at Boston Latin School, Washington wants people to know how much effort and love he has put into dance. He states, “If people remember anything, it would be how driven I am towards achieving my goal of entering the entertainment industry and the impact I would make.”
Concerning his future, Washington reveals he “has it all planned out.” He will attend Boston Conservatory at the Berklee College of Music where he aspires to get his bachelor’s degree in commercial dance. From there, he plans to move to Los Angeles with his friends after landing a show to take classes and do auditions, eventually dancing at award shows like the Grammys, hoping to go on world tours with artists. Afterward, he wishes to foster the next generation of future dancers.
The ardor and the devotion for dance is something that will accompany Washington far beyond the halls of BLS. Hard work and determination are values that he holds dear, and he doesn’t seem to be getting rid of them anytime soon.
DuFauchard concludes, “I know his hard work […] will take him to his dreams and beyond.”
