About
Praise
“Wills is a pleasant surprise, a gorgeously long, magical dancer whose lovely hands and arms practically floated throughout her time on stage. Wills is a dancer to watch.”
— Raleigh News & Observer
“Lily continues to shine onstage with her innate artistry and confidence. Through each ballet she continues to show more and more depth and range in what she is capable of.”
— Zalman Raffael Grinberg, Artistic Director of Carolina Ballet
“I find {Lily} to be hard working and totally dependable. She has a very engaging manner.”
— Robert Weiss, Former NYCB Principal Dancer, Founding Artistic Director of Carolina Ballet”
Resume
Lily is a creative and ambitious individual with a keen sense of artistry. She started modeling from a young age, and spent her teens focused on the pursuit of a professional ballet career. Now that 2020 has made performing impossible, she’s turned her focus toward modeling again, hoping to use her experience as a dancer to make interesting work. Often the subject of her professional photographer mother, Lily has many years of experience in front of a camera. A well-trained and motivated individual with strong stage presence, artistry, and experience delivering captivating performances. Physically and mentally flexible, she’s ready for anything from athletic, to high fashion, to catalogue.
Experience
Modeling
-Smalls Merino Clothing Campaign, 2020
-Lisa Hoang High Fashion Brand - Nathan Richards, 2018
-Carolina Ballet Season Brochures & Posters - Rachel Neville Photography, 2017-2020
-Ongoing Dance Photography Book - Tatiana Wills Photography, 2015 - 2020
Soloist Dancer
Carolina Ballet
2015 - 2020
Notable Roles
Jerome Robbins’ Afternoon of a Faun
George Balanchine’s Apollo - Calliope
Lynne Taylor-Corbett’s The Ugly Duckling - Ugly Duckling
Robert Weiss’ The Four Seasons - Fall Principal PDD
Skills
Organized, Driven, Empathetic, Collaborative, Passionate
Comfortable in front of a camera
Picks up choreography quickly
Creative and Artistic sensibilities
Easygoing and fun to work with
Innate performance quality
Lily Wills is a dancer and model living in Los Angeles, CA. Born in Seattle, and grown in LA and Portland, Lily has spent her life surrounded by strong female artists— including her mother, Tatiana Wills. Though she started training at age 14, Lily managed to become a professional ballet dancer, ascending to the rank of soloist at a reputable company within a decade.
Lily has been the muse of her mother’s photography her entire life. Their collaboration started with documenting childhood, testing light for commercial campaigns, and standing in for actors on shoots for movie posters. Their work together has grown into a project focused on dance, movement and fashion.
Shortly after starting high school Lily began her dance training at The Portland Ballet, where the idea of dancing professionally became a strong desire. A year later she started attending The School of Oregon Ballet Theatre under the direction of Christopher Stowell and Damara Bennett. Lily graduated high school in 3 years in order to spend more time dancing and training. She rehearsed and performed with OBT in productions of Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, and with the school in Who Cares? and Serenade. In 2014, she spent a year training at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre graduate program, where she performed roles in Lew Christensen's Beauty and the Beast and Sinfonia. In 2015 she attended the Carolina Ballet summer intensive on scholarship, after which she was asked to join the company as a trainee. She was promoted to the corps de ballet the following year, and again to soloist in 2018. Lily has danced numerous soloist and principal roles with the company, including works by George Balanchine, Lynne Taylor-Corbett, Robert Weiss, Zalman Raffael, and Jerome Robbins. In 2020, Lily attended the first virtual Jacob's Pillow contemporary ballet program, where she had the opportunity to work with Annabelle Lopez-Ochoa, Virginia Johnson, and Sascha Radetsky. Lily had her second hip surgery this July, and, undeterred, continues to practice resilience and pursue her dream of dancing. She is currently recovering, modeling and collaborating on projects incorporating dance, music and film.
Training
The School at Jacob’s Pillow — Contemporary Ballet Program, 2020
-Participant in the very first Virtual Summer Program, working with dance icons Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Sascha Radetsky, and Virginia Johnson.
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre — Graduate Program, 2014 - 2015
-Performed in school and company productions including Lew Christensen’s Sinfonia and Beauty and the Beast -Trained 6-8 hours/day with technique, pointe, variations, pas, modern, contemporary and pilates classes, in addition to rehearsing with the company.
School of Oregon Ballet Theatre — Student, 2010 - 2014
-Performed in school and company productions including Christopher Stowell’s Swan Lake, George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker and Who Cares? -Privileged to work with Francia Russell and Kent Stowell on his Coppelia
The Portland Ballet — Student, 2009 - 2010
-Enjoyed working with John Clifford on his La Boutique Fantasque
Additional Training
-Centro Coreográfico de Las Palmas Summer Program for Professionals with Carmen Robles & Anatol Yanowsky, 2019
-Workshop with former Miami City Ballet School Director Carter Alexander, 2011
-Competitive Rhythmic Gymnast 2006-2009
-Study with world renowned ballet master Olga Kostritzky (Black Swan, SAB) 2015-2020
Summer Intensives
Carolina Ballet, 2015, 2016
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, 2014
School of Oregon Ballet Theatre, 2012
The Harid Conservatory, 2011
The Washington School of Ballet, 2010
Have a nice day y’all :)