Shines on national stage

Ever since she was six-years-old, Middle Village resident Hillary Ramos wanted to be a professional dancer.
Earlier this month, the senior at LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts took another step closer to realizing her dream when she traveled to Miami to participate in YoungARTS week - a program of the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (NFAA).
Ramos, who is a dance major at LaGuardia, spent September and October of last year rehearsing and preparing her modern dance routine for the contest. Nearly a month later, she received a phone call alerting her that she was one of 142 winners out of 8,000 applicants selected to participate in an all-expense paid week of master classes, showcases and performances as well as mentoring from world-renowned artists.
“Once I hung up the phone I started screaming to my mom, and I kept jumping around,” she said. “It was really nice and a big rush of adrenaline.”
When she arrived in Miami, Ramos participated in a number of classes with other finalists in her dance genre, and she prepared all week for her solo performance that would come near the end of her trip. When her performance day came, Ramos was the first participant in her category to go on stage - adding a little extra pressure to an already nervous time.
“Yeah, but it was a different type of nervousness,” Ramos said. “Everyone knew we weren’t there to compete against each other; everyone was amazing in their own way.”
However, the finalists are competing for more than $500,000 in prize money - with gold and silver winners taking home $10,000 and $5,000 respectively.
“One of the things that the kids always say about their Miami experience is that the money they win is less important than the comradeship and communal understanding that they discover among their peers,” said William H. Banchs, President of NFAA.
The finalists are expected to find out soon whether they qualified for any of the prizes, but Ramos already heard that she was selected as a youngARTS Presidential Scholar qualifying her to receive a college scholarship.
Ramos, who will graduate this spring, has applied to a number of prestigious colleges and universities including Juilliard in Manhattan and Dominican University in California.
“I want to dance professionally, but I still want to have an academic education too; I don’t want to give that up,” said the 16-year-old senior, who is currently taking three Advanced Placement courses in addition to hours of dance training everyday.