Dee Hillier's Dancers Honor Their Beloved Teacher With a Scholarship in Her Name
March 27, 2018

When 15-year-old Dan Watt found his first dance teacher, Dee Hillier, in Cleveland, Ohio, he didn’t know he’d also found a life-long friend. “She influenced me so much in my career,” says Watt. “We then just became friends years later.”

Watt wasn’t alone. Hillier, who started teaching dance in her basement with only a handful of students in the 1960s, went on to impact the lives of countless dancers. Her students, who still share bonds with one another and Hillier, have gone on to become successful teachers, choreographers and performers all over the country.

Part of her teaching style, which enforced solid technical training and professional classroom etiquette, was exposing her students to the professional world of dance. Regularly, she’d take groups of young dancers to New York City introducing them to the teachers she’d studied with.

She was also committed to those students who couldn’t pay for tuition. “My parents could only afford three classes a week,” says Watt. “Dee gave me a scholarship to continue taking class.”

Known for her quick-witted correction style, like “if a bug lands on your nose, don’t move an inch,” Hillier also truly acknowledged the power of dance training to her students. Watt recalls her regularly saying, “We are the lucky ones. We may have the lowest lows, but boy, do we have the highest highs.”


Hillier recently celebrated her 80th birthday. Photo courtesy of Watt

Over the years, former students, known as “The Dee Hillier Dancers,” continue to carry her legacy and teachings on to future generations of dancers, including Watt, who founded The Art Attack Foundation in 2004. In line with its mission to provide financial support to performing arts students, the organization announced this year the first-ever Dee Hillier Scholarship. The scholarship, funded by former Dee Hillier dancers, will provide one student in need of financial assistance full tuition for Broadway Dance Center’s summer program in New York City. “Dee touched so many dancers and people in her life; thousands of us that are working in the profession,” says Watt. “She gave us the confidence to follow our dreams and always encouraged us. This is our way of giving back.”


Dan Watt with The Art Attack Foundation’s chairperson Chita Rivera. Photo courtesy of Watt

Below is a slideshow with a handful of Hillier’s lessons recalled by former students that were forever-changed by her unique style of teaching.

“Remember the legends. Keep their memory alive in the dance world.”


Frank Hatchett, Dee HIllier and Dan Watt. Photo courtesy of Watt

Before Hillier moved to Ohio with her husband Jack, she grew up in New York studying with dance legends like Luigi, Phil Black, June Taylor and Charles Kelley.

“Dee introduced us to her teachers like Frank Hatchett, Jo Jo Smith and Luigi. She also introduced us to the real world of dance, and we either embraced it or went ‘heavens no, this competition is ridiculous.'” —Dan Watt

“Dee Hillier is the one who first introduced me to NYC and Broadway Dance Center. It was on these trips that I realized the importance of some of the lessons Dee had been teaching us. Working on a strong and thoughtfully prepared warm-up, as well as technically focused combinations at home in Dee’s classes, gave me the confidence I needed to feel at home taking class in NYC. Classroom etiquette and the importance of acting professional within the dance community are also lessons from Dee that I have tried to pass on to my students.” —Michelle Barber, teacher at BDC


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