SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – September 6, 2015 — (Gephardt Daily) — On a very pleasant afternoon in a cafe by a small park in Sandy, Utah I met up with Chelsie Hightower.
Hightower is best known for her work on the TV dance shows “So You Think You Can Dance?” and “Dancing with the Stars.”
The Emmy-nominated star grew up in Orem, Utah the youngest and only girl out of six children. Chelsie and has been dancing since she was about nine years old and trained at Center Stage Dance Studio in Utah, along with Derek Hough, Julianne Hough and Jared Murillo.
Hightower told me, “(Professional) Dancing is extremely hard on your body. And mentally its challenging as well.” “Being on a show looks like a whole bunch of fantasy and fairy tales… but it’s hard work. Its very hard”. She continued, “Its very stressful and physically and emotionally and mentally demanding.”
But Hightower isn’t afraid of rolling up her sleeves and working hard. She’s worked hard all her life.
So passionate about her dancing, Hightower would be practicing when other kids were going out and partying. But her loving to dance superseded the ‘party scenes’ and her passion to succeed kept her focused.
The dancer is working on several new projects she’s keeping close to the vest right now. One of her current projects is a retail line with Discount Dance, one of the largest dance supply companies in the world.
In giving advice to those that want to get into show business she says, “I believe everything is what you make it.”
“First of all it is hard work. And then you can not control TV. So much of it is being in the right place at the right time and knowing the right people. Because TV is just as much about casting as it is about anything else.” She went on, “So understand the reality of it – it is difficult and that it is hard. And accept you might not succeed right away.”
“But go for your dreams and set goals.”
Chelsie says she was blessed in being given this talent and this platform to give back and inspire and teach others. “It’s the journey that’s important. And the person you become by taking that journey is the true trophy.”
