Born in Sydney, Ashley studied at Wendy Gibbs School of Ballet, learning classical, jazz, contemporary and tap, before moving to Melbourne at age 13 to finish her training at the Australian Ballet School.
After graduation in 2005, she set off on a European audition tour, and happily accepted a contract with Royal Ballet of Flanders. “I immediately felt comfortable in both the city and the company itself. There was a great energy and the repertoire was very appealing to me,” says Ashley.
When asked why she loves to dance, Ashley answers honestly, “When faced with this question I have difficulty finding words. I’ve been immersed in dance almost my entire life. It’s because something I can’t and have no reason to live without. Of course, I haven’t always loved everything about dance as a career, a path of study, as a process, but at a point early on, I discovered a deep passion for moving, discovering, and exploring, for communicating and connecting in this language, and for watching others do the same.”
Ashley lists highlights thus far in her career as being involved in the 2011 Copenhagen International Choreography Competition for her first piece, Better Left Unsaid, and creating a collaborative piece with Belgian dancer Jim De Block entitled Knee Deep Sleep. “The process itself was a major learning curve in my career. Working with someone can teach you so much about yourself and open your eyes to completely different ways of approaching things.”
After six years with the corps de ballet of Royal Ballet of Flanders, Ashley is taking up a contract with Ballet Opera de Lyon, in France. She starts in July 2012. There is still a lot that Ashley wants to achieve in her career: “The to-do list is constantly changing… In general, I want to make more mistakes, dare to be vulnerable and have the courage to challenge myself in other ways. This is easier said than done. I also hope that I can have the opportunity to create and perform back home in Australia sometime.”
ASTRID LAWTON
This article was first published in the April/May 2012 edition of Dance Australia. To subscribe to Dance Australia, click here.