Why You Should Know 12-Year-Old Dance Darling Dyllan Blackburn

Dyllan Blackburn’s sweet, low-key personality means she might initially fly under the radar—but once she’s onstage, she’s undeniably a star. With spectacular control and versatility that would put a chameleon to shame, Dyllan’s bound to accomplish her dreams of “touring with famous people, and maybe becoming a choreographer.” For now, though, she’s plenty busy winning national titles at The Dance Awards and Radix, plus performing as part of the Beat Squad at DancerPalooza.

The best advice I ever received was when Tessandra Chavez told me to just enjoy the process, and not focus my energy on being competitive with others. —Dyllan Blackburn

Fast Facts

Age:
12

Birthday:
May 2, 2006

Hometown:
Anaheim, CA

Trains at:
Project21 in Yorba Linda, CA

Favorite dancer of all time:
Lex Ishimoto

Strangest thing in her dance bag:
Honey-flavored cough drops

Go-to stress reliever:
Taking deep breaths

Dance idol:
Chaz Buzan. “He’s such a good dancer, and he’s really funny and nice. I also like his choreography a lot.”

A version of this story appeared in the October 2018 issue of
Dance Spirit with the title “You Should Know: Dyllan Blackburn.”