ABOUT
Ashley Taylor is a freelance dancer and choreographer based in Brooklyn, New York. Her passion lies in using dance and art to tell meaningful stories and express truth, with the intention of sparking deep reflection and spiritual conversation. As a performer, she has been commended for her versatility, strength, artistry, passion, musicality, dance intelligence, strong teamwork, and ability to learn quickly. She has trained and performed in ballet, pointe, partnering, modern, contemporary, and jazz. She has also choreographed for a variety of performing contexts and has presented over 20 short works in concert. Most recently, she was commissioned to choreograph a contemporary ballet piece for the Ballet Theatre of Maryland School of Classical & Contemporary Dance, and a contemporary piece for VidaDance Company (Leawood, KS). Ashley holds a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and a Bachelor of Human Environmental Sciences from The University of Alabama, as well as an Associate of Arts degree in Fine Arts from Northern Virginia Community College, all of which she earned summa cum laude.
A native of northern Virginia, Ashley began her dance training in ballet, jazz, and modern at Ravel Dance Studio in Reston, Virginia, under the artistic direction of Janet Hall. She went on to study dance at The University of Alabama under the direction of Cornelius Carter, where she performed with Aabama Repertory Dance Theatre and Tuscaloosa Community Dancers. Ashley also performed and choreographed for Dance Alabama! student choreography productions. She was one of two 2014 recipients of the Edith Barnes Award for Choreography from the Department of Theatre and Dance and was named Dance Alabama! Outstanding Senior. Following graduation, Ashley moved to Annapolis where she danced professionally with Ballet Theatre of Maryland from 2014-2018. At BTM, she performed in multiple main stage productions and full-length ballets such as The Nuctracker, Excalibur, The Sleeping Beauty, and The Little Mermaid in addition to outreach programs and showcases. She has also performed with Bowen McCauley Dance Company, Charm City Ballet, VidaDance Company, and Vaught Contemporary Ballet in addition to independent projects.
In 2017, Ashley conceived, organized, and produced a free arts concert entitled Light in the Dark, with a vision to provide high-quality, accessible art centered on the title theme to the community. The well-received concert was held in downtown Annapolis and featured dance, live music, poetry readings, and visual art. In 2019, she produced Taking Wing, an evening-length dance concert featuring the work of several local choreographers, which sold out both shows and received rave reviews.
Ashley has traveled extensively around the world and has performed and taught dance in Zambia, Japan, Ecuador, and China. She is also a wife, mama, and writer.