Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Natalia and The Hills. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Natalia and , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I am filled with joy and fulfillment as an artist. I live in a wonderful city that provides so many different opportunities and of a high caliber of artists and creatives. On the other side of that is the struggle to make enough money to live in this city. I hustle between rehearsals for dance, and singing, and then a part time job with four different positions of responsibility, dance educator for children and adults and then take on other extra work whenever possible. What would going to the same one place for one job for the same set amount of hours and making a stable living be like?
This crosses my mind daily and I wonder if I could be as happy or happier doing something else. Am I ready to move from performer to choreographer or into a theater management position? What’s the right time to make that call?
The latter question I still don’t know the answer to. I do know that I will continue to make financial sacrifices and live a crazy unpredictable life to do what makes my soul soar through the stars!

Natalia and , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My Mom says, ” you couldn’t stop moving, you were dancing in your car seat, bouncing around. at two” She put me in dance when I was three and I haven’t stopped since. I danced all through grade school at competitions, summer intensives, studied and performed in Germany, Austria, and Hungary, and even performed at the United Nations. I booked my first professional musical at 11 and loved every night performing in the musical Annie. I always knew I wanted to be a dancer and performer.

I continued to pursue my career after graduating from University of the Arts in Philadelphia with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, majoring in dance education. I traveled and lived in Italy, New York, Los Angeles, and San Diego dancing and singing in musicals, bands, commercial gigs, a web series, dance companies, and modeling.

There were so many bumps along the way and big learning curves. While I can be a social person, I tend to be a quieter person when in a room full of people. I wish I had that kind of confidence and unwavering ability to walk into any audition or room full of people and just start talking to strangers. Despite not having super strength with this crucial skill needed in this industry, I found other ways to connect and meet people. There is always something to overcome if you want to continue and grow in something you are passionate about. What I could never do though was stop being me.

I recently played with Smoke and Mirrors Soundsystem as a backup singer. That was an amazing experience. The band is full of incredible talent and with this band I was able to play at some iconic theaters such as The Belly Up, Humphreys, Soda Bar, and at the Beer X Festival. I was playing in a 9 piece band called Nothing Special for six years prior to covid. We played mostly ska, wrote originals, and unique arrangements of top 40 songs. Now as Natalia and the Hills we are playing music together again and having a blast! I love rocking the stage with this group of guys. As we work to grow and reach more audiences we will be focusing our music style more to top 40 hits and writing originals. We want to be able to play a wider variety of shows. We want to be able to fulfill different client needs for different events.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

When I am on a stage or performing, I get to escape and feel myself become this version of me that feels real on a level I can’t put into words. That is the only way and experience that I know, that is to be truly present in time. People are what matter most to me and being that present in that moment with other humans is the most profound experience I want to have over and over again.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I had to get over my ego a few times on this path. I had big dreams for myself. I thought since I trained with amazing teachers and other performers and I was a hard worker that I deserved the job or role. I was young and had a lot to learn. Then I had to realize that while I may not have danced with the Martha Graham Dance Company, played a role in a movie, or sang in a big stadium, that I do have a successful story that I should be proud of. I am still living my dream and working as a professional performer. I stay focus on finding work and in that new project, grow from the people I am so lucky to work with. In that moment and process that I get to create something that would not exist in that capacity had I not been a part of it. I try to hold to this as much as possible and set my intention on a project no matter what the role. I try to hold onto my voice in my head saying I can do it and not let bad performances or bands that didn’t work out dictate my ability to do what I love and have spent my life trying to do.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Natalia_hill , nataliaandthehills
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/natalia.hill.5 www.facebook.com/nataliaandthehills

Image Credits
Doug McMinimy Jim Carmody Tsukasa Takahashi