See Young Goldie Hawn as a Ballerina in 12 Adorable Rare Photos: ‘I Consider Myself More a Dancer Than Anything Else’

Before she became an iconic movie star, the multitalented actress was devoted to dance

By Abbey Bender September 28, 2025

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Goldie Hawn has been beloved by audiences of all ages for nearly six decades. Now 79, the blonde, blue-eyed, eternally perky star of classic comedies like Private Benjamin, Overboard, Death Becomes Her and The First Wives Club got her start on the late ’60s sketch comedy show Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, where she became known for shimmying while covered in body paint and embracing a winking “dumb blonde” persona.

Before she had her big break as a ’60s It Girl, Hawn trained to be a ballerina. In 1964, at just 19 years old, she began teaching at a ballet school in her native Washington, D.C. after dropping out of college. Hawn’s background in dance was a major asset, as she worked her way up to performing onstage and was discovered by an agent during one of her early gigs as a chorus girl.

Read on to see rare photos of young Goldie Hawn as a ballerina and stage actress.

1. Like father, like daughter

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Goldie Hawn had a creative upbringing, as her mom, Laura Hawn, was a dancer and owned a jewelry shop, while her dad, Edward Rutledge Hawn, was a musician and conductor. In this 1960 photo, a 15-year-old Hawn and her dad study sheet music for the showtune “As Long as He Needs Me” while sitting at their piano at home in Takoma Park, Maryland.
2. Studying the classics

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In this 1964 candid, Hawn and Howard Scammon, her professor for a summer stock production of Romeo and Juliet at the College of William and Mary, discuss the Shakespeare play while sitting under a tree.
3. Goldie as Juliet

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Here, Hawn plays Juliet onstage in 1964. In her 2005 memoir, A Lotus Grows in the Mud, she recalled how even in an iconically tragic role, her comic chops came through, writing that during her performance “Suddenly, a laugh rises up from the audience like a hot-air balloon. I feel a flicker of panic. Oh God, you're not supposed to laugh in Shakespeare, are you? Juliet isn't supposed to be funny.” Of course, her natural sense of humor would ultimately serve her very well.
4. Lovely in leotards

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In 1964, Hawn attended the Wally Saunders Dance Studio in Baltimore, Maryland. Here, she poses among the ensemble, and as the only blonde, she definitely stands out!
5. Feathers and fantasy

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This photo of Hawn and her fellow dancers at the Wally Saunders Dance Studio is a campy delight.
6. Jazz hands

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Here, Hawn and Saunders show off their jazz hands as they dance together at his studio. Saunders went on to teach dance for 38 years before his passing at 61 in 1993.
7. Pretty ballerinas

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This 1964 photo of Hawn with her young ballet students might just be one of the cutest things we’ve ever seen. The actress later described dancing as “the most extraordinary experience of my life.”
8. Twinkle toes

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In this photo from the dance studio, Hawn gently adjusts her student's feet at the ballet barre. Hawn began taking ballet lessons at just 3 years old, and in 1955, at age 10, she danced in the corps de ballet of the Ballet Russes de Monte Carlo production of The Nutcracker, so she was always able to relate to her students.
9. Friends on the floor

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Here, Hawn sits on the floor to share a lesson with her adorable students. Looking back at this period of her life, she said, “I didn't want to be a star. I wanted to dance and . . . open a dancing school. I had my life planned.”
10. Listening intently

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Little kids aren’t always the best at listening to their teachers, but Hawn’s students look very eager to receive her words of ballet wisdom.
11. Smooches and smiles

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In this precious portrait, one of Hawn’s ballerinas-in-training gives her a kiss on the cheek.
12. The gang’s all here

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In this classroom snapshot, Hawn models one of the classic ballet positions for her students. Even decades after leaving the world of ballet, Hawn said, “I consider myself more a dancer than anything else . . . If you can express yourself without being afraid of looking silly—dance like nobody’s watching, right?—I think that is a beautiful thing.”

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