Joseph Hetzer trained at South Bay Ballet in Torrance, California for three years before becoming a member of the inaugural class at the University of Southern California Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. While at USC, he worked closely with William Forsythe on his classic works and new creations, dove into different genres and movement styles, and performed on three continents.

Hetzer joined Oklahoma City Ballet in 2019 and is entering his fourth season with the company. During his time in OKC, he has performed featured roles including Mad Hatter in Septime Webre's ALICE (in wonderland), Jerome Robbins's 2 & 3 Part Inventions, Holiday Couple in Michael Pink's Dracula, Puss n' Boots in Ryan Jolicoeur-Nye's The Sleeping Beauty, and the trio in Jessica Lang's To Familiar Spaces in Dream. One of his favorite experiences was working with Penny Saunders on Jump Cut which never premiered due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Outside of ballet, Hetzer is also a spin instructor at Cyclebar Classen Curve, teacher at Kim Massay Dance Productions and the Oklahoma City Ballet Yvonne Chouteau School, a regular at The Jones Assembly, and is a Lululemon Ambassador.