Meet the dance ensemble

The Hillsdale High School Dance Ensemble is a dance performing group committed to excellence through strong work ethic and character. The commitment is a year long and all members must audition each year to earn a spot on or back onto the Ensemble.

Dancers train throughout the school year. All dancers are enrolled in Advance Dance which is during 4th period and each member will be expected to have excellent attendance. Some of the performances that are required of all dancers: Holiday Showcase, Annual Spring Concert, High School community events, rallies and school related events and fundraisers. The Ensemble’s focus is on skill and performance, dancers will gain knowledge and experience through performances about production skills while producing their own choreography and performances.

* Four Year Ensemble Member

frances conway - senior

Frances is a Senior and this is her third year on the Dance Ensemble. She has been dancing since she was 4 doing styles like ballet, tap, and jazz. She was also a competitive gymnast from the age of 3 until she was 13. In her free time she enjoys teaching dance and gymnastics classes and likes to cook, watch movies, listen to music, and hang out with friends. Frances is so grateful to be a part of The Ensemble and would like to take this opportunity to thank Sabrina Braccini and Savina Lopez for their endless support. She would also like to thank her family and teammates for always pushing her to do her best!

MIa Curtis - junior

Mia is a Junior at Hillsdale High School and this is her second year on the Dance Ensemble. Mia started training in ballet at the age of 3, and has been at Peninsula Ballet Theatre for the past 11 years. She also enjoys other styles such as contemporary, jazz, lyrical, and hip hop. Aside from dance, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, watching movies, and reading. Mia is so excited to be a part of the Ensemble and is glad she gets to share it with a wonderful group of people! She can’t thank her family enough for the continuous support.

Kelsie Fong - JUNIOR

Kelsie has been training at Ayako School of Ballet since age 3, and has attended summer dance intensives at School of American Ballet (New York), Joffrey Academy of Dance (Chicago), DeCruz Ballet (San Antonio), American Ballet Theatre (Costa Mesa), and San Francisco Ballet. In addition to ballet, Kelsie enjoys contemporary, modern, hip hop, and jazz. Fun fact: she has been attending Knight Moves performances since she was 4 years old! She’d like to thank her family, friends, teachers, and all the talented members of Dance Ensemble for their encouragement and support!

Mia Hackett - SOPHOMORE

Mia is a Sophomore at Hillsdale and is excited to be continuing her journey with the Dance Ensemble. She is also part of the Leadership class. Mia has been dancing since two and a half years old and has studied ballet, lyrical, jazz, contemporary, tap, hip hop, street jazz, and musical theater. During her free time she enjoys hanging out with her friends and going on lake camping trips. Mia comes from a long line of dancers and performers and wants to thank her family, and her dance teachers over the years, for helping to ignite this passion.

Addison Han - Senior

Addison is a Senior at Hillsdale High School and a third-year member of the Dance Ensemble. She began playing soccer at the age of five and later discovered her passion for dance at thirteen. Addison currently trains in hip hop and is exploring styles such as street jazz and jazz. Beyond dance, she enjoys shopping, watching movies, and spending time with friends and family. She wants to thank everyone in her life who has supported her and looks forward to continuing her journey with this team.

Willow Harbin - senior*

Willow is a Senior at Hillsdale High School and this is her fourth year on the Dance Ensemble. Willow began dancing when she was 8 years old with a love for tap and hip hop. Over the years she learned more styles, developing her passion for dance and choreography. She dances at Principal Creative and Performing Arts (PCPA) and trains in many different styles, including, contemporary, lyrical, ballet, jazz, and tap. When she’s not dancing, Willow loves to travel and hang out with friends and family. Willow is very excited to be a part of the Ensemble and would like to thank her parents and dance teachers for supporting her and always pushing her to do her best!

Sierra HArtwig - senior

Sierra is currently a Senior at Hillsdale High School. This will be her second year on the Ensemble, and she is beyond for one last year with such an amazing group of people! She started dancing at the age of 6 when she began taking Mexican Folkloric dance classes through the City of San Mateo’s Parks and Recreation department. Sierra currently dances at Peninsula School of the Arts, where she trains mostly in ballet and contemporary. Sierra would like to thank all of her coaches, teachers, friends and family for always believing in her and helping her become the person she is today.

Carmen Haugh - junior

Carmen is a Junior at Hillsdale, and this is her second year on the Ensemble. Carmen took her first ballet class at 4 and, after a few years, discovered her love for sports. She decided to stick with sports throughout elementary and middle school and stopped dancing. As Freshmen year started, she took the Beginning dance class at Hillsdale and was a part of the Guest Ensemble for Knight Moves. This made her rediscover her love for dance. Her favorite style of dance is jazz. Outside of dance, she is a part of the Hillsdale Cheer Team and is a part of the Leadership class. She would like to thank her family and friends for their endless support and encouragement. She can't wait to grow as a dancer and is so grateful to be a part of this group of dancers!

Brooke Haywood - Sophomore

Brooke is a Sophomore at Hillsdale and this is her second year on the Dance Ensemble. When Brooke was 2 years old she began competitive gymnastics. Five years ago, Brooke decided to switch from gymnastics to dance. Brooke’s favorite style of dance is hip hop and street jazz. When she  isnt dancing,  she enjoys hanging out with friends and shopping. Brooke is so happy to be a part of the Dance Ensemble and wants to thank her family and friends for always supporting her dance journey.

Elsa Hu Barrera - SOPHOMORE

Elsa is a sophomore at Hillsdale and this is her second year on the Dance Ensemble. She is very excited for the many performances and fun experiences to come! Elsa started dance when she was 3 years old by taking ballet and tap classes. Now, she dances on the competitive hiphop team at CY Danceworks. Her favorite styles of dance are hiphop and jazz! Outside of dance, Elsa likes to spend time with friends and loved ones. Elsa would like to express her gratitude to her family, dance coach, dance teachers, and friends for always supporting her and helping make sure she is always her best.

Cadence Lane - junior

Cadence is a Junior at Hillsdale, and this is her third year on the Dance Ensemble. Cadence danced at Fusion Dance Project for 5 years, and soon fell in love with hip hop. Unfortunately her studio shut down during the pandemic, but she started to play a lot of sports during middle school and has been on the Varsity Basketball team for three years. After she joined the Dance Ensemble, she quickly renewed her passion for dance. Cadence is so grateful she could create new friendships, and be a part of this amazing team. Outside of dance, she enjoys watching movies with her family, hanging out with her sisters, and listening to music. She would like to thank all her teachers and coaches, her mom for always supporting her, and her dad for pushing her to work harder everyday.

FELICITY MA - JUNIOR

Felicity is a Junior at Hillsdale. This is her first year on Dance Ensemble. She started dancing when she was three and danced on and off over the years. Felicity has mainly trained in hip hop, but is excited to start training in the other genres of dance. Outside of dance, Felicity is a part of the Hillsdale Cheer team and the Leadership team. She would like to thank the love and support from her family, friends, and especially Sabrina for giving her this wonderful opportunity. She can’t wait for an amazing year; being a part of the Hillsdale Dance Ensemble!

CAMILA MILES - FRESHMAN

Camila is a Freshman and this is her first year on the Hillsdale Dance Ensemble.

Kylee NGo - senior*

Kylee is a Senior at Hillsdale, and this is her fourth year on the Ensemble. She first started dancing when she was two years old, when her grandma taught her Japanese dance. She started training in various different styles when she was three years old, and hasn't stopped since. She is now a competitive dancer who won Hollywood Vibe Dancer of the Year and is touring with them as part of their Teen Company. She was also part of the Warriors Jr Jam dance team and is currently signed with MSA Agency to work as a professional dancer. She wants to thank her mentors, family, friends, and studio, Nor Cal Dance Arts, for all the support they've given her, and for pushing her to be the best dancer possible. She's so grateful to be a part of the Ensemble, and can't wait to continue her journey with the team.

Kate Rayborn - junior

Kate is a Junior at Hillsdale and this is her third year on the Dance Ensemble. Kate began dancing at the age of 4 when she started taking ballet and tap classes at Kirkpatrick School of Dance. She now dances at Heartbeat Dance Academy and trains in many different styles such as jazz, tap, contemporary, lyrical, ballet, and musical theatre. She is also on Heartbeats competition team. When she’s not dancing she loves to hang out with friends, spend time with her family, and travel. Kate is very excited to be a part of the Dance Ensemble and would like to thank her family and dance teachers for their endless support!

josephine ries - sophomore

Josephine is a Sophomore and this is her second year on Hillsdale's Dance Ensemble. Josephine's love for dance originated doing musical theater, in productions like Cabaret, Newsies, Mean Girls, and more. During the pandemic, she began taking lessons in Lyrical/Jazz at CY Danceworks, later joining their competitive hip hop team, Krazy8. When she’s not busy with extracurriculars, Jo enjoys playing piano, shopping, and spending time with her friends, family, and her dog Brooklyn. Josephine would like to thank her dance coaches, her parents for always supporting her and being there for her, and her younger brother, Sebastian, for always being her number one fan. She is so grateful for this opportunity, and is ecstatic to work with this team!

vanessa Sanchez - freshman

Vanessa is a Freshman and this is her first year on the Hillsdale Dance Ensemble.

Daniela Savage - SOPHOMORE

Daniela is a Sophomore at Hillsdale and this is her second year on the Dance Ensemble. Daniela has been training in Hip Hop since age five and started dancing competitively as part of Krazy8 when she was nine. Daniela decided to expand her skills as a dancer and began training in jazz, contemporary, lyrical, street jazz, technique, musical theater, and ballet at Melodic Remedy five years ago. Daniela’s passion is dancing as part of Poise’n Brigade’s competitive hip hop team. When she is not dancing, Daniela enjoys being a part of Hillsdale’s Leadership class as a Staffulty commission member. Daniela also loves spending time with friends and family, listening to music, shopping, and traveling to warm, tropical places. Daniela would like to thank her sister for being her inspiration and her parents for always pushing her to be the best she can be.

sophie spillner - freshman

Sophie is a Freshman and this is her first year on the Dance Ensemble. She has been training at Ayako School of Ballet since she was 4 years old, doing several styles such as contemporary, ballet, and jazz. She has attended several summer intensives like Alonzo King Lines Ballet and Joffrey Ballet. Outside of dance, she likes to go shopping and hang out with friends. She is so thankful for her coaches and family for their support and for this opportunity!

GigI Thomson - senior

Gigi is a Senior at Hillsdale High School, and is excited to start her second year on the Dance Ensemble! Gigi found her love for dancing at 3 years old in ballet class. Gigi’s favorite style to perform is jazz. When she’s not dancing, she’s hanging out with friends, cheering, listening to music, and watching shows and movies. She has the honor of being Varsity Cheer Captain this year. Gigi is super excited to be apart of this ensemble and can’t wait for the show! She’d like to thank her family, friends, coaches, and the Ensemble for the endless support!

Maggie THomson- junior

Maggie is a Junior at Hillsdale High School and this is her third year on the Dance Ensemble. Maggie began dancing ballet and tap at 3 years old at Kirkpatrick School of Dance. She later moved to Heartbeat Dance Academy to continue doing more styles of dance like jazz, lyrical, and contemporary. She currently dances at Heartbeat Dance Academy. Maggie’s favorite style to perform is jazz. When she isn’t dancing, she spends time with her friends and family. Maggie is so excited to be part of the Dance Ensemble, and is so grateful for all the support she’s received from her dance teachers and parents!

Sammy Wright - junior

Sammy is a Junior and this is her third year on the Ensemble. Sammy began dancing when she was two years old at Kirkpatricks School of Dance. Now she dances at Heartbeat Dance Academy on their competition team. She currently trains in jazz, tap, ballet, musical theatre, lyrical, contemporary, and hip hop. In her free time she likes to hang out with friends, go shopping, and listen to music. Sammy wants to thank her family, dance teachers, and friends for their endless support and love. She’s grateful to be part of the Dance Ensemble and is excited for a great year!

maddIE yip - freshman

Maddie Yip is a Freshman and this is her first year on the Ensemble. Maddie started dancing when she was 3 years old taking Hiphop and Tap. Maddie has been competing with Heartbeat Dance Academy for 5 years now and is so excited to be teaching there as well. Maddie has always had a passion for dance and she continues to work hard and grow as a dancer. Outside of dance, she likes to hang out with friends and family, travel, and go shopping. Maddie would like to thank her parents for all of the support they have given her throughout her dance career and her friends for always being there for her. She would also like to thank her dance coaches for all the opportunities they have given her and all the support through her journey!

Claire Young - senior

Claire is a Senior at Hillsdale High School, and this is her third year on the Dance Ensemble. She discovered her love for dancing at the City of San Mateo Recreational Center from a young age. Claire was a part of Jazz-Ma-Tazz Dance Troupe for three years and continues to be a part of the San Mateo dance community by volunteering as a dance crew member to work with young dancers. Last year, she started training in various styles at Melodic Remedy and aims to further improve her dance abilities. Claire dedicates her achievements to her grandmother, Jewely, and gives a huge thanks to the rest of her family, friends, and teachers for their endless support!