International Figure Skating Choreographer Katherine Hill: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Started
An Interview With Edward Sylvan
Prepare for the Time Crunch. Artistic or creative work, on a large scale with a big budget, can be stressful. Time and again I have been hired, given a prompt, and literally received mere minutes to produce a dazzling idea. So, you have to be quick on your feet and imaginative in the moment. AND, you need to balance all of that with asking for the legitimate time you need. I once had to tell a team of directors and producers who were prepping for a shot that they would need to wait 8 minutes for me to create what they were requesting. I knew 10 minutes would sound lofty and 5 minutes wasn’t enough. Yes — a mere 8 minutes was all I was given.
As a part of our series about “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became An Artist” I had the pleasure of interviewing Katherine Hill.
Katherine Hill is an international figure skating choreographer, experiential learning designer, consultant, and entrepreneur. After starting her career in management consulting with Accenture, Katherine has gone on to choreograph for world-class figure skaters, Cirque du Soleil, television, and major motion film. When not working on choreography projects, she teaches performance and style to world-class figure skaters at the US Olympic Training Site in Colorado Springs and teaches the creative process to corporate teams- translating work in the artistic sphere to business innovation and workplace engagement.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
Very happy to be here and to chat about all things living an artistic life.
Let’s see — I grew up with incredibly supportive parents who wanted me to have a balanced childhood. I began figure skating when I was two and when coaches began requesting that I have more practice time– my parents chose to, instead, give me piano lessons, dance lessons, and time in basketball leagues. Even as I become competitive in the sport of figure skating, my mom always said “we can quit tomorrow, if you like”- her way of saying, ‘we do this as long as YOU want it. Not a day longer.’ The story of how I grew upstarts and ends with the beautifully well-rounded and supportive life my parents created for me.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
I always knew I wanted to choreograph. My very first memory in life (unassisted by photos or home videos) is of dancing in the living room to Natalie Cole’s “Unforgettable” cassette tape. I was maybe 3 years old and I danced around for hours. As the years progressed, I was a competitive figure skater, I studied musical theater in high school and then went on to study Dance at Northwestern University. Through each stage, I choreographed for anything and everything that moved — young kids, physicians who figure skated for fun, Olympic hopefuls, myself, local fundraisers, student productions, and everything in between.
While this might sound like a linear path. I diverged (wait, I still diverge) along the way. I believe there is no creativity without diverse experiences. I dabble in growing businesses. And, I design learning experiences for corporate teams around creativity and innovation. These different focuses keep things interesting and offer more inspiration for creative endeavors.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I met my fiancé! He, too, is a figure skater and choreographer. I never thought I would date a fellow figure skater but I suppose you can’t discount the power of shared experiences. We now work together regularly, travel worldwide to teach skating seminars or choreograph, and can truly appreciate the highs and lows of each other’s professional lives. I feel blessed to be able to do what I love with the person I love and can’t’ believe we’re able to experience so much of life together.
If you’re interested, you should check out some of his past competitive performances over the years. His name is Ben Agosto and he was quite an impressive competitor- winning National titles, World medals, and Olympic silver!
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
Well, unfortunately, I’m not quite able to discuss one of the more interesting projects to date. They really make you sign away your life with those NDA’s! But — hopefully soon, you’ll see the work on the big screen.
Past exciting projects include: Cirque du Soleil’s Axel, Canadian Broadcast Company’s Battle of the Blades, and a lot of time clocked honing and choreographing performances for elite figure skaters.
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
High performers, in general, are fascinating. While I won’t name names, I have (or still do interact) with Olympic medalists, Stanley Cup winners, notable composers, other well-known choreographers, and more. While uniquely straddling the athletic and artistic worlds, I often find myself comparing behaviors and habits of high-performing artists and athletes. Ya know — what motivates them? To generalize- I’ve observed over the years that athletes seem to never quite feel satisfied — always striving for more. And, artists push forward to create and innovate because they can’t imagine life without their craft. I once had a dance professor at Northwestern tell me — “I didn’t have a career path choice. It wasn’t a choice. Dance was the only thing I could imagine doing.”
Where do you draw inspiration from? Can you share a story about that?
My best ideas come when I am improving. I think the entire point of the dance is to emote through movement. The minute I begin to think — I lose the vibe. Actually, my partner and I joke that he has to film the FIRST of my improv for a certain job or we’ll lose the best material. I hardly ever remember what I do that first time. It’s almost as if the movement spill out of me. After that — I overthink.
Beyond improv, I recommend using your emotions- digging deep and ask yourself the hard questions. Be curious about the world. And, put yourself in a habit of creating. I love Twyla Tharp’s book “The Creative Habit” where she recommends viewing creativity as habitual behavior.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
I work to mentor young adults entering the professional world. I remember feeling overwhelmed as an early 20 something with lots of potential and a huge fear of screwing it all up. I was the beneficiary of incredible mentorship and try to pay that forward whenever possible. Having a trusted mentor at that age is irreplaceable.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
- Accept a Multifaceted Identity
It’s ok to be an artist and really organized, strategic, and financially driven. I used to have weird notions about the identity of an artist in the world. What a waste of time. If you like making things with a bit of emotional intent — you’re an artist. That’s all it needs to be. I started my career as a management consultant with Accenture and often shied away from saying I was a choreographer as well. I couldn’t grapple with the “artist or analyst” issue in my head; as if I had to act one way as one and differently as the other. I wish I had accepted my multifaceted interests/identity sooner and freed the mental bandwidth for creating.
2. Understand the difference between an Artist and a Creative
In my mind — there is a small but fundamental and important differentiation between An Artist and A Creative. I assume many will disagree with me. But — I see it this way: an artist makes what they want when they want. They answer to no one because their vision is king. On the other hand, A Creative is hired to work in a collaborative environment and to generate ideas alongside others- all working toward a shared vision. When I realized I was A Creative and liked working with others, my career took off.
3. Prepare for the Time Crunch
Artistic or creative work, on a large scale with a big budget, can be stressful. Time and again I have been hired, given a prompt, and literally received mere minutes to produce a dazzling idea. So, you have to be quick on your feet and imaginative in the moment. AND, you need to balance all of that with asking for the legitimate time you need. I once had to tell a team of directors and producers who were prepping for a shot that they would need to wait 8 minutes for me to create what they were requesting. I knew 10 minutes would sound lofty and 5 minutes wasn’t enough. Yes — a mere 8 minutes was all I was given.
4. Learn to Let Go
A lot of us are fed stories of artists clinging doggedly to their artistic vision. Collaboration can be fast-paced and messy. It’s like throwing things at the wall to see what sticks and then building off of those ideas. If something isn’t working, let it go, pivot, and forge ahead.
5. Understand that there are No Short Cuts
I am embarrassed to admit that I have had many past projects feel like a “break out” gig as the time I landed them. But, honestly, they aren’t really. Once they end, you simply continue on your journey of creating things. You learn more gig after gig; you have the anecdotes to fall back on; the questions you know you need to ask before accepting the project; and the ability to foresee problems before they occur. This expertise takes time to develop. I don’t believe there are short cut in learning these lessons.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
Feminism, anti-racism, and climate change are causes I feel most passionate about. We have such wonderfully talented individuals leading these charges around the world and I do my best to follow, support, and model behavior.
A smaller movement I like to champion as an influencer is artistic expression and creativity for all. I truly appreciate the work of Sir Ken Robinson on creativity in schools (check out his TED Talk) and very much believe everyone deserves to have their talents, ideas, and expressions celebrated. The nature of play is important for ALL ages (even adults) and I wish more people had more of it in their daily lives. I work with corporate teams to reinvigorate play as a means to spark innovation and a more inclusive way of working.
We have been blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she just might see this.
Well, I definitely can’t pick just one person. But, I can give you a short list!
I would love to meet Beyoncé because of the inspiring way she re-invents her artistic voice and evolves over time. I would love to meet Julia Louis-Dreyfus for her general perspective, talent, and sense of humor. I am grateful to Reese Witherspoon for her role in elevating woman’s voices. And, finally, it would be such an honor to sit down with Brene Brown to thank her for all the work she has done to support love and belonging. Oh! And, I wish I had had the honor to meet Ruth Bader Ginsburg
What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?
Instagram!
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
