<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learning to fly<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Of all the arts, the most magical is theatrical dance. Using their body as both canvas and brush, dancers shape and sculpt movement and space, thrilling the imagination with their grace, precision, and beauty. After years of preparation, discipline, and technical training, those gifted with the prerequisite talent seem to be able to fly.<\/p>\n\n\n Andrea Hill, in her aerial silks\/acrobatic routine for her 2019 Huntsville’s Got Talent performance, dazzled all those in attendance with just that \u2013 she flew, suspended above the stage, in an act of tremendous skill, stamina, and wonder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since the dawn of human history, formal dance has been a part of life across all cultures \u2013 from the ritual dancers of India and China, through to the emotional allure of ballet, and on to jazz and hip hop, dancers perform daring, gravity-defying leaps and feats of agility, all in joyous celebration of being alive. As with Andrea Hill\u2019s poignant aerial silks act, onlookers can only respond with awe at our own earth-bound limbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Andrea\u2019s love of dance began when she was eighteen months old. Her mother, Lynn Hill \u2013 \u2018Miss Lynn\u2019 as she is affectionately known as a dance teacher at the renowned Muskoka Dance Academy in Huntsville \u2013 was a professional dancer and magician\u2019s assistant in her early performing life and, as Andrea recounts, not only an inspiration but a formative influence on her choice to pursue continued development in dance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her childhood and adolescence were filled with lessons and encouragement. As a result, she became a fully rounded dancer in all formats \u2013 tap, jazz, ballet, acro, and contemporary \u2013 all of which are taught to aspiring young dancers at the Huntsville studio. As she got older, particularly in her early teens, Andrea realized that not only did she enjoy the classes, she also relished the competition by which progress in dance is assessed. Around age thirteen she began to take dance more seriously as she gained more positive results. Entering Huntsville’s Got Talent at that age sparked her deepening interest. Although she didn\u2019t win her first showing, the next year she won at age 14, which was really exciting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n