'She's fearless': Nine-year-old Chapel Hill dancer inspired by moment with Taylor Swift
Lucia Hugelmeyer, a nine year old dancer in Chapel Hill, shows off the "22" hat she received during The Era's Tour in Hamburg, Germany.
Nine-year-old Lucia Hugelmeyer was certain she would get the hat.
On night one of The Eras Tour in Hamburg, Germany, Lucia — or ChiChi for short — was dancing her heart out on the stadium floor in her sparkly top and arm full of friendship bracelets.
Her mom, Alexis, wasn’t so sure. If Lucia was somehow picked from the crowd to sing along with Taylor Swift and receive the famous hat she wears when singing “22 (Taylor’s Version)”, Alexis joked she would sell it for $20,000 and go on a trip to Greece.
But, Alexis also knows that Lucia, who dreams of becoming a professional dancer, has a way of making things happen.
Sure enough, Lucia was stopped mid-dance by Swift’s team and brought to the edge of the stage.
While her experience with Swift was a once-in-a-lifetime moment, it also was a tangible stroke of inspiration for her as a performer.
Lucia Hugelmeyer, 9, meets Taylor Swift during a concert on The Eras Tour in Hamburg, Germany on July 23. Photo courtesy of Lina (IG: @linarw.e).
Dreams of professional dance
When Lucia was two, her family moved from New York to Chapel Hill in July. By August, Lucia and her older sister Izzy started dancing at Renner Dance Company.
Soon after, Lucia knew she wanted to become a professional dancer.
During one of Izzy’s competitions, then three-year-old Lucia was stretching in the dressing room corner, Renner Dance Company owner Summer Disher said.
“I basically gave her a private [lesson] in the dressing room because she wanted to be on that stage so bad,” Disher said. “She has this intangible love for what she's doing and has had that in her soul since she was three.”
Now, at nine, Lucia dances 12 hours a week, learning jazz, acrobatics, lyrical, contemporary, ballet and hip-hop.
Disher said while Lucia could sassy jazz walk all day long, she also excels in contemporary classes and knows how to develop her own style.
“Sometimes getting her to do choreo exactly the way we want her to do it is a struggle for her,” Disher said. “But that's not necessarily a bad thing because when she does get it, she kind of makes it her own.”
Lucia also dances outside the studio, tumbling or pirouetting from room to room, Alexis said. From Disher’s perspective, Lucia’s passion, work ethic and energy are indescribable.
“And I also love to go to work,” Lucia said. “I don't only go there for friends. I love to work at dancing too, and I wouldn't even go to dance if I was just gonna go socialize.”
For Lucia, being a professional dancer means being the star of the show, not backup. Every time Lucia goes to a dance intensive and works with the best performers in the business, she sees herself in the professional dance world more and more, Alexis said.
But, because the performance industry can be cutthroat, Disher said it’s crucial for young girls to have a good role model.
Alexis admires how down to earth Swift is and hopes the same for her daughter.
Disher said when she heard Lucia got the 22 hat, she wasn’t surprised at all.
“That's just who she is at her core, and that's who she's been since she was two years old,” Disher said.
Alexis herself has always been a fan of Swift’s country music, so she played it a lot in the car as Lucia was growing up.
However, Lucia became fascinated with Taylor Swift when The Eras Tour began. She watched the tour film and hoped to eventually see Swift perform.
On a family vacation to Europe earlier this summer, Alexis surprised Lucia with last minute tickets to The Eras Tour in Hamburg.
Lucia said when she heard the news, she was so excited that she could have fainted.
“I had so much energy,” Lucia said.
During the performance, Alexis said Lucia danced her heart out the whole time. Later, Lucia was approached by a member of Swift’s management team and was led to the stage.
Swift then handed Lucia her hat, but not before Lucia gave her a big hug and said, “I love you,” to which Swift responded, “I love you too!”
Lucia Hugelmeyer, 9, attends The Eras Tour in Hamburg, Germany on July 23. Photo courtesy of Lina (IG: @linarw.e).
Lucia said she was drawn to Swift’s elaborate performances and that she is inspiration as a person and a performer.
“I love how she's so nice to her fans, and I love that she's fearless to perform,” Lucia said. “I love how she doesn't care what anybody says, and she doesn't mind the hate comments, which I don't mind the hate comments either, but it's just nice to live like that.”
Alexis said, as a parent, she adores how Swift sets an example for people to be kind in a hateful world. She said when Lucia received the hat, it would have been easy for people to be negative, but instead, the family was met with overwhelming support and positivity.
“It couldn't be better, because there are all kinds of people that she could choose to idolize and that she could choose to look up to, so I'm grateful that she's picked somebody who is down to earth,” Alexis said.
Lucy Marques is a 2023-24 assistant city & state editor at The Daily Tar Heel. She was previously a city & state senior writer. Lucy is a junior pursuing a double major in political science and Hispanic literatures and cultures.
Kathryn DeHart
Kathryn DeHart is a 2024-25 assistant City & State Desk editor.
