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Austin Sexton, Rehearsal Director & Instructor

 

A singer, dancer and actress, Austin has been honing her triple-threat ability since childhood. She grew up among the Lake Washington studios of Spectrum Dance Theater, the company her mother, Jenny Hillock, co-founded. And, with two parents as dancers, Austin developed a passion for the performing arts at a young age.  After training at Spectrum for many years, as well as Seattle Children's Theater, Austin studied at Dance Fremont! during her teen years.

Throughout her stage career, she has performed leading roles in "The Wiz," (Glinda),"Cabaret," (Sally Bowles) and "Anything Goes" (Reno Sweeney) with Summit Youth Theater Company.  As a concert performer, she has danced the works of Eva Stone, Kabby Mitchell III, Jenny Hillock, Jason Olhberg and Dance Fremont! co-founders Mary Reardon and Vivian Little.

After graduating from high school, the mezzo soprano went on to pursue her degree in music, where she studied music theory, piano, choir and vocal performance, During her college years, she pursued an opera workshop, performing scenes from "Falstaff" and Gloria Swisher's one-act opera, "Poker Alice."  However, Austin's main focus and true love as a vocalist is soul and funk.  From 2008 to 2012, she was a lead singer with the band, Funk 'n Groove, a troupe which performs and records songs from the 1970's to present, and includes horn sections, instrumental soloists, singers, guitar, bass, drums and percussionists.

Today, Austin remains active in music and dance, and enjoys teaching at local studios.  As a co-founder of Relay Dance Collective, she is inspired by the vision that allowed her mother, and other great dance artists such as Dale Merrell, to create a company based on inclusiveness and recognition that talent comes in many colors, shapes, forms, and sometimes, from unexpected sources.

 

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