EAGLE, Idaho — Hailey Ventura, an Eagle resident and dancer with AF Dance, will be heading to Arizona as part of a three-person crew competing at Hip Hop International's World Championship.
"It's definitely been probably the best experience of my whole life. It's the thing that I'm super passionate about, and this is what I've been wanting to do my whole life," Ventura said.
The journey to this international stage began when Ventura moved to Eagle in 2020 from California. She quickly found her place in the community and connected with Austin Fernando, founder of AF Dance.
"I started off with multiple different styles like jazz, contemporary, and hip-hop, but hip-hop definitely stuck with me because it's it's upbeat," Ventura said. "It's fun. It's more of a community experience than just solo."
Watch Hailey and her team behind the scenes as they prepare for the world championship.
Fernando's dance program operates alongside Impact Dance Company, with the trio that includes Ventura only officially forming last July. The group includes dancers from Eagle, Boise, and Meridian.
"I don't think I necessarily found them, I think we kind of found each other," Fernando said. "We ended up kind of finding each other in different - at different times through the past couple years."
The team qualified for the world championship after competing at Hip Hop International's USA qualifier in Los Angeles this April.
"When we went to Los Angeles and they qualified, I'll be very honest, that was probably like such a huge highlight for the year," Fernando said. "Every single year, we wouldn't qualify, we wouldn't place, we wouldn't move on, but each year we got closer and closer right."
The trio practices between 10 to 15 hours weekly, demonstrating their dedication to representing the state on the world stage.
"We're putting as much as we can into it. We're putting all of our time, our effort. We're practicing both in the studio and at home to make sure that we're the best that we can be going to Arizona," Ventura said.
Hip Hop International has been running since 2002 and hosts competitions in over 16 different countries. The upcoming championship will feature more than 70 competitors in the mini-crew division alone.
"It's really just like a coming together of a lot of like-minded individuals who appreciate the art of dance, from all around the world, all in one place," Fernando said.
Since qualifying, the team has intensified their preparation.
"We revised our set. We made some changes. We made things harder. We made things a little flashier," Fernando said.
For Ventura, dance provides more than just competition; it's a form of self-expression.
"I see dance as kind of like an outlet of where I can express myself and how I can kind of show who I am without using words," Ventura said.
The close-knit nature of the three-person team has created strong bonds among the dancers.
"You get more comfortable with the people and it's definitely... they are your family, and you feel a lot closer than you may feel with more people," Ventura said.
Fernando hopes their success will inspire others in the Treasure Valley.
"The kids here in the Valley realize that they can do really cool things too," Fernando said. "And I think all it takes is people as special as them putting the effort forward to say that they want to do this and they want to accomplish it."
Looking ahead, Ventura has big dreams for her future in dance.
"The goal is eventually to maybe travel and meet different, like, communities of hip-hop, maybe to other countries, maybe other states, and just get to know how they dance and how they go about their things and maybe teaching classes to teach other people what I got to learn growing up," Ventura said.
The team invites community support as they prepare to represent Idaho and the United States.
"We will be documenting our travels, so any extra love or any words of encouragement are always really helpful," Fernando said. "They're representing the state of Idaho on such a large stage and just knowing that their hometown and their home area here and in the Treasure Valley is rallying behind them... I think will mean a ton for them."
Those interested in following their journey can find them on Instagram at @afdancefam.
