Launceston dancer Lily Cornish is set to appear before millions of American viewers after landing a role on the new US series Dancing With The Stars: The Next Pro, despite initially believing she had been recruited to work behind the scenes.
Cornish said she had no idea she would end up performing alongside American dance star Derek Hough, a six-time winner of the US version of Dancing With The Stars, until arriving for rehearsals.
Dancing With The Stars: The Next Pro is a new spin-off of the hit reality competition that follows 12 emerging professional dancers as they live, train and compete for a coveted professional spot on the flagship series.
“I thought I might be working behind the scenes – perhaps helping with camera blocking or assisting with choreography,” Cornish told Pulse.
It was not until she was flying to Brisbane the night before rehearsals that she received her schedule and noticed she would be rehearsing with Hough.
“I remember thinking, ‘Could that possibly mean Derek Hough?’ But I wasn’t completely sure,” she said.
Cornish said the surprises continued when she arrived at the studio and discovered she would be dancing with Hough before later performing alongside another professional from the American series.
Cornish, whose mum Jo Palmer is a former Tasmanian TV newsreader turned politician, described appearing on a show broadcast on US network ABC and available to Australian audiences on Disney+ as “surreal”.
“I feel incredibly privileged and proud to represent Tasmania on such a big stage and at an international level,” she said.
“Growing up in Tasmania, I always had such incredible support from my local community and that support has continued as I’ve travelled the world throughout my dancing career.”
Cornish is no stranger to the Dancing With The Stars stage.
Last year, she and Home and Away actor Kyle Shilling won Dancing With The Stars Australia..
Dancing has since taken Cornish around the world.
After leaving Tasmania at 18 to join international dance production Burn the Floor in New York, she has toured throughout America, Europe, the United Arab Emirates and Asia.
Despite performing across the globe, Cornish said one of the highlights of her career was convincing producers to bring Burn the Floor to the Princess Theatre in her hometown of Launceston.
“Coming home and sharing that experience with the people who had supported me from the beginning made it one of the most memorable moments of my career,” she said.
Cornish is currently in Italy rehearsing a new show for Burn the Floor before returning to Tasmania to perform with Shilling at the Tasmanian Open DanceSport Championship at the Silverdome on August 8.
She said she was looking forward to reuniting with Shilling and performing in front of a home crowd.
“Tasmania will always be home to me,” she said.
“As soon as I land, step off the plane, breathe in the fresh air and see all the familiar places and faces, I immediately have that feeling of being home.”
“It will always hold such a special place in my heart.”
Cornish encouraged young Tasmanian dancers to keep chasing their dreams.
“Keep working hard, because that hard work will pay off,” she said.
“You never know what opportunity might be waiting around the corner.”
