When David Haile first stepped into a dance class at Grossmont College, he had no idea it would lead him to the biggest stage in the world. Haile grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan and never envisioned a career in dance.
Besides dancing in his bedroom growing up, dance wasn’t even part of his life until he took a hip-hop choreography class at Grossmont College in 2017. Encouraged by a classmate, he signed up for the course taught by Melissa Adao, a faculty member who quickly became a mentor.
“I didn’t even know what an eight-count was,” Haile said. “I had rhythm from growing up in a musical family, but choreography was a whole new world to me.”
Now, the Grossmont College alumnus has danced at Coachella, toured internationally, and most recently, performed alongside Kendrick Lamar at the Super Bowl halftime show.
While Haile was a student at Grossmont College, Adao recognized his natural talent and encouraged him to join Grossmont College’s advanced hip-hop class. Haile quickly found his passion and began performing in Grossmont College’s dance concerts and on-campus performances.
“Grossmont created a safe space for me to explore dance. It was the first place where I really felt I belonged,” he said. “I finally found my group of people, and to this day, I still talk to and hang out with the friends I made there.”
Fueled by his newfound passion, Haile expanded his dance experience beyond Grossmont College. He trained at local studios, joined competition teams, and made frequent trips to Los Angeles to take advanced dance classes. Eventually, he joined prestigious dance groups and began going to auditions in Los Angeles.
His perseverance paid off. In 2022, Haile signed with a dance agency, and in 2023, he landed his first major industry gig: performing at Coachella with Metro Boomin, Future, and John Legend. That same year, he danced at the BET Awards with Ice Spice, appeared in NFL commercials, and was featured in music videos for Ayra Starr.
“I knew something would work,” Haile said. “If you have a passion and work at it long enough, something will happen. There’s no timeframe, but if you stay true to yourself and put in the effort, opportunities will come.”
But the biggest moment of his career came in early 2024 when he received an unexpected opportunity—auditioning for the Super Bowl halftime show. After making it through multiple rounds of auditions, he received the call: he had been selected to dance for Kendrick Lamar at the 2025 Super Bowl.
Haile began rehearsing for eight hours a day, six days a week over the span of one month leading up to the Super Bowl on Feb. 9. Haile described the experience as both mentally and physically demanding but also the most rewarding job he had ever done.
“You knew this performance meant something bigger,” he said. “It was an all-Black cast, and we felt unified in creating something powerful. Kendrick’s artistry has meaning beyond the music and being part of that was an honor.”
Even as Haile continues to climb in his dance career, he remains deeply connected to his Grossmont College experience. He still meets with Adao when he comes back to San Diego, he stays in touch with this Grossmont College classmates and hopes to return to the campus to speak with current dance students.
“Grossmont College changed my life,” he said. “It gave me my first real dance experience, and I want students to know that if you’re passionate about something, you can make it happen.”