Although primarily known as a tap dancer, the Orange County School of the Arts student also works in the contemporary, hip-hop and jazz styles.
It is perhaps fitting that a tap dancer would be tapped by the judges as this year’s Dance Artist of the Year.
Lilah Dee Horton, who recently completed her junior year at Orange County School of the Arts, swept up the recognition by showcasing not only a wide-range of talent and styles, but rare intimacy as well.
Tap is where Horton has made — and may continue to make — her name. But it was her diversity of styles and her eloquent description of art that helped lift her to the top of a field of four semifinalists in the commercial dance specialty and a dozen dancers representing world/cultural, concert and street dance styles.
Horton has been a tip-top tap dancer for years. She performed on NBC’s “World of Dance,” where she danced duets with teammate Rachael Hudak. She was a finalist in the 2019 Music Center Spotlight Awards in Los Angeles, has done solo dancing at Disneyland, and was a member of a tap troupe at the Emmy Awards Governors Ball.
But that’s just part of the package Horton brought to the competition and only mentioned in passing by the judges.
Rather it was her full range of contemporary, hip-hop and jazz styles, choreography and her advocacy for the role of the artist that helped her to the top.
“Lilah dances with musicality and attack,” said Cathy Lozano of Cal State Fullerton and Momentum Dance. “Her understanding of music brings dynamic depth to her performance in all genres demonstrated.”
One of Horton’s two required video submissions included her lauded tap skills.
