Early life
Merrick William Hanna was born on March 22, 2005, in Encinitas, California. His parents are Shawn and Aletha Hanna; Shawn's mother, Judith Lynne Hanna, is a dance author and academic who was a dance anthropology professor at the University of Maryland, College Park. Hanna has a younger brother, Sagan. He did not talk until he was three and found it hard to make eye contact, but he was able to open up using toy robots. He also acted in professional Shakespeare plays as a child. He gave up soccer for dancing in 2014, finding it more fun and personal. Hanna originally took classes at the Magdalena Ecke Family YMCA under Cameron Greene and was also assisted by Poppin John of the SoulBiotics Krew.
Career
In 2017, Hanna reached the semifinals of season 12 of America's Got Talent. During his audition, which was inspired by the fellow San Diego-based group Jabbawockeez, judge Simon Cowell called his act "one of the best performances [he's] ever seen on the show." A video of Hanna's audition went viral on YouTube, garnering 13.4 million views in three months. He choreographed and wrote the story for his dances himself. Prior to appearing on America's Got Talent, Hanna had also danced on So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation, Lip Sync Battle Shorties, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and various commercials, including H&M, Honda, and Gap Kids.
After America's Got Talent, Hanna began gaining success on TikTok, starting a dance trend based on his signature robotic movements. In 2020, he joined the content house VibeCrew. He then had a recurring role in the Brat TV series Attaway General in 2021. In 2024, Hanna was invited to the 2024 Democratic National Convention, filming videos there to encourage people to vote.
