Silvia Huddleston was born in Lima, Peru, in 1969. She recollected memories of her upbringing in Lima, particularly the challenges growing up with terrorist attacks across the city during the 1970s and 1980s. Silvia discovered dance as a way to gain a deeper understanding of her native culture, one in which, as she explained, Peruvian schools did not teach and overlooked. She recounted her early dancing career, particularly her performance at the opening ceremony of the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games and her subsequent tour across Europe in 1991. Economic difficulties and safety concerns prompted Silvia to leave Peru and emigrate to the United States in 2003. She initially landed in Miami and then quickly settled in Orlando. In 2015, Silvia founded Raymi Dance School in Orlando as a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and sharing Peruvian heritage and culture through dance, music, and storytelling performances.