I had the pleasure of interviewing two different young women who both dance and hunt. This story is about how two young women find power, balance, and joy between the stage and the woods.
Grace Meets Grit
On one side of life, there’s glitter, bright lights, and the heartbeat of music pulsing through a stage floor. On the other hand, there’s the stillness of a sunrise, the soft rustle of leaves, and the echo of a steady breath before a shot.
For Amelia and Armonia, these two worlds, dancing and hunting, aren’t opposites at all. They’re threads of the same story, weaving together confidence, patience, and pride in who they are as young women.
Though they’ve never met and live in different parts of Oklahoma, Amelia and Armonia share a spirit that bridges the distance between them, one that finds beauty in both dancing and hunting.
Amelia says, “Both dancing and hunting take patience in their own way. With dance, it is patience with your skills and tricks; with hunting, it is patience for learning how to track and wait for what you are hunting.”
“I don’t know many people who can be girly and dance and be a hunter all in one,” says Armonia. “But for me, it just fits.”
A Tradition Passed Down
For Amelia, hunting began as a cherished family ritual, quiet mornings spent outdoors with her dad, learning the rhythm of the woods. At first, it was her brother who went along on those early trips, but before long, Amelia decided she wanted to join in on the fun. She took to it immediately. One of her most unforgettable memories came during youth season with her dad, when she harvested her very first deer. “That day was so special,” Amelia recalls. “It was only my third time in the woods. We were tracking the deer as they approached the feeder. I waited for the best shot, took a deep breath, and made a perfect heart shot. I got my first deer right then, and there, a moment I’ll never forget.”
Armonia's love of the outdoors started early, thanks to her mom. “I was about five when she started taking me out,” she recalls. “I was eight when I got my first deer.” Her mom didn’t just hand her a rifle; she handed her a legacy. The lessons weren’t about trophies, but about patience, respect, and connection. Some memories stand out more than others. “My favorite hunting memory was during my controlled youth hunt at Pine Creek. My mom and I hadn’t seen anything all day, and we were just about to pack up when, in the last thirty minutes, a few hogs finally appeared. We snuck out of our blind so I could get a better shot and sat in front of a tree with just my gun and shooting stick. I took a steady aim and fired, but as soon as the shot rang out, about twenty hogs came charging at us from out of nowhere! We sprinted back to our blind, half-terrified and half-dying of laughter. It’s still one of the funniest, most unforgettable hunts we’ve ever had.”
A Life in Motion
Both Amelia and Armonia have been hunting and dancing from a very young age, before they started going hunting. Dancing was their first passion, soon followed by hunting.
“I’ve danced since I was four years old, and I am 18 now. My favorite styles are jazz and ballet with a little bit of contemporary,” says Amelia. “When I performed my first solo, it was thrilling and nerve-racking but exciting, too. That moment when the lights hit you, and it’s just you and the music… It’s unforgettable.”
"I've danced since I was three years old, and I am 17 now, so dancing in front of a crowd with lights beaming on me is nothing new. Stepping onto a stage by yourself, and all the attention being on you is exciting, nerve-racking, and thrilling all at the same time, a feeling you never want to forget. Hunting is a similar feeling. The nerves of waiting for a deer to come out, and when that time comes, you have so many different emotions running through you."
Though dancing and hunting may seem different, the girls both had similar things to say about these two passions, having the same spark, the same rush. When you are hunting, you’re waiting, your heart’s pounding, you’re focused. Then, when the moment comes, everything slows down. It’s pure adrenaline, just like on stage.
Focus, Patience, and Power
Ask either girl what connects dance and hunting, and their answers are very similar: discipline, patience, and timing.
“Both require you to observe, to wait, to be ready,” says Amelia. “You can’t force a perfect dance move or a perfect shot. You have to trust the process and yourself.” That mindset has carried over into every part of their lives. “Dance and hunting have both taught me to be patient even when things don’t go as planned,” Armonia says. “They’ve made me confident, resilient, and sure of who I am.”
Feminine and Fearless
In a sport still seen as male-dominated, Amelia and Armonia both embrace their femininity unapologetically.
Amelia says, “Being a girl that hunts just blends in naturally for me. I’m a tomboy and a girly girl. I wear makeup and get my nails done. During fall, I’m just full-out ‘let’s get into the woods and hunt! My dance friends think I am crazy for hunting and even make up hunting nicknames for me; on the flip side, most of my hunting friends are boys, and they don’t even think about me being a dancer."
“I grew up around uncles and brothers, so I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty,” says Armonia. “But you also better believe I wake up at 4 a.m., do my makeup, and wear my jewelry just to sit in a hunting blind all day.” Her dance friends, she admits, are shocked that she hunts. “They’re all pink and glitter and sunshine. Hunting sounds like a big no to them. But people are impressed when I tell them that I hunt, especially when they find out it’s my mom who takes me.”
It’s a balance both girls have learned to own: sparkle and strength, mascara and mud, stage lights and sunrises.
Looking Forward
Amelia already knows she wants to keep the legacy of hunting going. “I plan on making sure that my future husband hunts,” she says with a smile. “And when I have kids, I’ll take them out at a very young age and get them into the outdoors life.”
Armonia dreams of auditioning for the OKC Thunder Girls after graduation, while also continuing to hunt as a lifelong connection to her roots. “Hunting is part of my childhood,” she says. “It’s something I want to carry with me. My mom showed me it’s possible to do it all: to work, raise a family, and still make time for what you love.
The Art of Balance
Dancing and Deer isn’t just about two hobbies. It’s about what happens when you refuse to choose between strength and softness when you realize both can live side by side.
For Amelia and Armonia, life’s most meaningful moments happen in that in-between space: where the music fades into the sound of the wind, and grace meets grit in perfect harmony.
Feeling Inspired to Learn More About Hunting?
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