Originally from the Los Angeles area, Hilary Tone has been dancing for 22 years and teaching for the last six. In Los Angeles, she trained at the prestigious Retter’s Academy of Dance under the direction of Darryl Retter and Linda Bernabei-Retter, and competed and won various titles with the nationally-ranked Rhythm Machine Dance Company at such competitions as NYCDA, LADF, West Coast Dance Explosion, Co. Dance, Showstoppers, and more. She appeared in dance instructional videos, modeled for dancewear catalogs, and toured with Ms. Bernabei-Retter as her assistant on Tremaine Dance Conventions.

In college, Hilary was the Captain of the Santa Clara University Dance Team, choreographing for and performing with the team at basketball games, rallies and fundraising events. She was also the tap instructor for DC Extreme dance conventions before moving back to Los Angeles to complete a Master’s degree. While back in LA, Hilary spent two years teaching jazz, tap and hip-hop at Retter’s Academy of Dance and performing with its renowned R&B Pro Company.

For the last two years, Hilary taught tap, jazz and hip-hop at Tucson Dance Academy while living in Tucson, AZ. Her competition numbers won Gold, High Gold, Platinum and Overall Awards at NYCDA, Dance Master’s of America and Celebrity dance competitions. She was a featured tap instructor in Tucson’s National Tap Day 2011, and assisted NYCDA tap instructor Danny Wallace in Las Vegas, NV.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication and Spanish Studies from Santa Clara University, and a Masters of Public Diplomacy from the University of Southern California. During the day, she does communications and outreach for a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C.

Hilary is thrilled to join DDC and hopes everyone is ready to get FUNKY