Since he can remember, Heffington has always thought of himself as a dancer. Growing up in Yuba City, Calif., he studied tap, jazz, and ballet. After high school, he relocated to Los Angeles to pursue a professional dance career. But he soon moved from traditional stages toward the margins, making his name with a “punk” cabaret show that involved “food, bitch slapping, and tap.” Heffington danced at clubs, raves, and galleries, and “wherever else that would have” him.