Lily is from Tallahassee, Florida, where she quickly fell in love with dance at a young age. She’s trained in multiple forms of dance, such as ballet, contemporary, modern, jazz, musical theatre, hip hop, and tap. Lily moved to Lafayette in 2017 to major in Dance and Performing Arts at the University of Louisiana, at Lafayette, where she began her serious dance training and professional career. Along with several performances at the university, some of Lily’s most notable works include Gina Aswell’s “Every Place We Ever Lived” and a community performance of Ronald K. Brown’s “Walking Out the Dark”. After participating in Ronald K. Brown’s work, Lily traveled to New York City to study for two weeks at the Evidence Summer Intensive. Here, she took classes in Contemporary, Hip-Hop, and West African. Since graduating from UL, Lily has been teaching at dance studios all over the Acadiana area, and is now a Teaching Artist with the Acadiana Center for the Arts P.A.C.E. program. Lily hopes to someday go back to New York to take class, perform, and hone her teaching skills. 

Lily has been taking class with Basin Arts ever since she moved to Lafayette, and is so excited to bring her love for ballet to the studio on Wednesday nights. 

Who makes up your art circle?

Everyone I work with at the ACA. Being apart of the P.A.C.E. program has not only given me the opportunity to share my love of movement with new students, but it’s given me a sense of community with other like minded artists. I’ve had so much support from Bree Sargent and Paige Aaron to take liberties in my creativity and expand my understanding of art education and integration. 

My art circle is also largely influenced by Basin Arts. Basin has been a pillar in my creative process for the past five years. Nothing helps me stay motivated and get inspired more than taking Modern class on Tuesday mornings with other incredible dancers. 

How do you expand your art circle?

One way I expand my circle is by showing up anywhere art is happening. Art walks, live music events, critique nights. There’s always someone to talk to, someone who wants to share their ideas, someone who needs help with their next project. 

I also find it helps to take on new jobs whenever possible. I’ve taught dance around Lafayette, and that exposure alone has connected me with so many other teachers. It also creates the perfect opportunity for me to observe other classes to see how I can improve my own teaching practice. 

What value do you see in having a creative community?

My community of other dancers is what gets me out of my creative slumps. I think it’s easy as an artist to allow self doubt to creep in. It’s crucial for me to have my peers to bounce ideas off of, and to understand they come against the same roadblocks that I do. My connections to other artists also exposes me to opportunities I wouldn’t have otherwise known about. There have been so many times where I’ve seen my friends involved with projects and I’ve thought “I want to do that!” Usually that’s all it takes to get me excited to jump into a new project of my own. 

How does your artistic approach contribute to your community?

I like to think every time I teach a class, there’s at least one student who I’ve left a positive impression on. I believe dance and movement is healing for the body, mind, and soul. I use movement to teach children to love the skin they’re in, and to find wonder and inspiration in the world around them.