Meet Lihi Catriel

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lihi Catriel.

Lihi, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Well… It all started when I was born in Israel, aka the most amazing place in the world. I was blessed with the most amazing parents and family. Seriously. At the young age of eight months, my parents made a daring decision to move to the United States; the land of opportunity. A young couple with a big dream and a baby, traveling to the other side of the world to seek a better life.

We landed in a small town called Champaign in Illinois, which is where I grew up. In the Midwest, there isn’t much to see, but it was definitely a quiet and tranquil place to raise a family. As a kid, I would always put on shows for my parents. I would make fake tickets and seating numbers and force them to watch my many dancing, hula hooping, and singing numbers. Fun date night! 😉

Fast forward a couple of years, at the age of five, I take my first ever dance class. Many will say that at that age you don’t understand what love is, but I am the exception. I fell in love head over heels for dance. Finally a way where I could express myself, and although it sounds cheesy, it’s exactly how it felt. Like I mentioned before, I am blessed enough to have such amazing and supportive parents that my mom took my talent at flew with it.

Next thing I know, I am part of a competition team, dancing and rehearsing 5 hours every day. When I was nine years old, I competed for the first time as a soloist. Being on the stage was my calling; I’ve never felt more free in my life! I would travel with my mom every other weekend to Chicago (a three hour drive) to attend conventions, intensives, and more.

The first time I visited Los Angeles was with my mom when I was 12 years old. I got accepted into attending a dance camp. My mom and I both immediately fell in love with the environment and the lifestyle. For so long we were almost trapped in this small town with cornfields stretching as far as the eye can see, and now we arrived to a place with life! As soon as we got back from the trip, we did everything we could to convince my dad to relocate to LA.

Two years later, when I was 14 years old, we made the daring move to live in the City of Angels. We moved in the middle of my 9th-grade year, and I couldn’t wait to start a new chapter in my life. I’ve grown so much and I am endlessly grateful for the opportunities that I only could have imagined in Illinois.

Since the move, I have created such authentic connections and been blessed to work in the entertainment industry. It’s only up from here! So excited to see where this crazy journey takes me 🙂

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The biggest challenge I have faced personally is my own self-consciousness. The feeling of being a big fish in a small pond to a small fish in the ocean is such a difficult concept to understand, and can honestly make you feel anxious at times.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
As a professional dancer and aspiring to leave a legacy in the entertainment industry, I would say that my hard work and optimistic personality sets me apart. As a brand and business, I believe it’s important to understand and focus on your vision and future.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lihicatriel/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lihicatriel/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@lihicatriel?lang=en

Image Credit:
Wes Klein, Kelsey Cook

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