Zsilas Michael Hughes is from Little Rock, Arkansas. They trained under the kinesthetic conceptual teachings of Arleen Sugano at Rock City Dance Center and on full scholarship at Pacific Northwest Ballet as a Professional Division student. They attended summer courses at Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Dream Big Dance Company, Ballet Arkansas, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, University of Utah, and Pacific Northwest Ballet.
In 2017, Zsilas was the recipient of the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) First Place in Classical/Contemporary division. Zsilas Michael Creations is an archive of self-choreographed solo works.