Hulia Gulia

I have been dancing ever since I could remember, or at least walk. As a single parent my mother worked hard to provide and gave me the ability to do something I loved from such a young age. What started with a class or two in jazz and ballet, eventually morphed into lyrical, contemporary, modern, tap, hiphop, and beyond. My passion for this unspoken form of expression is something that I will forever hold close to me.

Reflecting on my time spent as a dancer before attending college brings me the most abundant feelings of nostalgia as I have had the opportunity to express myself in an array of different places with all kinds of people. I truly did not realize how strongly dance shaped my character until my senior year of High School . As captain of my school's dance team I was responsible for guiding all my dancemates throughout the entirety of the school year and this really allowed me to understand how sacred dancing could be. In more ways than one it has brought me closer to myself and to my community by teaching me how to communicate and work with others. Growing up I moved around quite a bit, so that meant bouncing around from studio to the next. This was always a challenge as I got older and spent more hours dancing. I wanted to find a place that felt like a second home but wasn’t always fortunate to attain such a thing. Although I would not have had it any other way, as each place has taught me to adapt to change and evolve with my environment.

While I may not dance to the extent that I once did, I have learned to find ways in which I can integrate the artistry and creativity into aspects into my life. I have recently taken on modeling, my background with dancing has really helped me with photoshoots and fashion shows.