Student Focus – Hannah Liu

Hannah Liu is a fun loving 12-year old who likes watching tv, swimming and traveling with her family. But whether she is talking about dance or actually performing, Hannah displays a maturity that makes us wonder how old she really is.

“I have been dancing since I was 3 years old,” Hannah tells us.
Hannah typically studies classical ballet for 15 hours a week with several teachers. “I am home-schooled so that helps a lot,” she says. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have enough time for that amount of dance.”
When she dances, Hannah enjoys “jumping” the most. It’s no surprise to learn that Natalia Osipova is Hannah’s favorite ballet dancer. “Ms. Osipova is known as the human airplane,” Hannah explains. “She is an amazing dancer.”
Hannah has appeared as a student dancer with four different professional companies and has played Clara in two different versions of The Nutcracker. “I loved playing Clara in American Midwest Ballet’s Nutcracker last year,” says Hannah.
This summer Hannah will attend dance intensives offered by Chautauqua Dance and Bolshoi Ballet. She also attended a special program taught personally by Suzanne Farrell, former principal dancer at New York City Ballet and one of George Balanchine’s muses.
“Ten years from now I will probably be in college,” Hannah tell us. “If I continue dancing, my dream is to dance with American Ballet Theater in New York City.”