Meet Ashley | Best Lyrical Choreography Nominee
Meet Ashley
Best Lyrical Choreography Nominee
RVA Dance Awards
My dance career started at Woodville elementary school when I first moved to Virginia. I remember performing on stage and loving the rush from being on stage. I then moved and remember having an amazing music teacher named Mr. Tinsley at Fair Oaks elementary who always used movement in class and I would look forward to music class every week. I also had a PE teacher who partnered with my science teacher and used the Electric Slide to teach us about circuits. I remember dance and movement being what kept me excited about school. My mom eventually signed me up and I dance for a few years at Martinique school of dance and then went on to Henrico High School Center for the Arts where I studied modern, ballet, tap, jazz, and Latin Jazz. I went to JMU as a Political Science major and realized that I was spending more time choreographing dances during lectures than actually listening to my professor. The second semester came and I changed my major to dance and never looked back. I made sure to keep my training diverse and studied modern, ballet, jazz, African dance and by joining a hip-hop club and then choreographing for two of them. I know for sure that this is what has helped shape my movement quality.
I currently teach lyrical at Prestige Dance Studio, Contemporary at Momentum Dance Center and various styles of dance at St. Catherine’s school. I absolutely love teaching dance and I’m glad to know that my students appreciate me and my wild ideas. I get goosebumps watching my kids on stage as they transform into these storytelling artists. Most of my student’s I have taught about 5 years or more so they really get me and my style, and I get to know them and what motivates and challenges them. We joked about my nomination because when I choreograph a dance and have to put it in a category I always refer to the “open” category. As a choreographer, my goal is to evoke some type of feeling from the audience and I leave the rest up to my dancer’s. They make my job easy. This nomination would not have happened without my amazing students and their ability to turn the lyrics into movement. Thank you, thank you, I’m honored. And congratulations to all of the other brilliant nominees. Way to go RVA!
