Meet Ashleigh Armstrong

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashleigh Armstrong.

Ashleigh, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
The first day I fell in love with dancing was one day during sixth grade at a school assembly. Two dancers from the dance team performed a contemporary modern duet to Jennifer Hudson’s version to ‘One Night Only’ and I remember being mesmerized and completely fell in love in that very moment. I remember saying to myself “I want to be just like her” and from that moment forward I made it a goal of mine to learn and place myself in every dance setting that I could. From there, I hassled the dance teacher’s at my school so that I could get into their classes. I eventually joined that same dance team and learned of the natural gift that I had for the art all along. It’s crazy because this passion and gift was always inside of me. I just had not been in the right environments to cultivate it up until that point. After middle school, dance became my life. I owe a lot of my training and progression in the art to my mentor and dance mother, Jacqueline Lockhart. I did not receive professional training until my sophomore year in high school. She molded me and pushed me beyond my limits every single second I was under her tutelage. I owe her everything. After high school, I graduated and began my college matriculation at the illustrious #1 HBCU in the country, Spelman College. I chose to take a leap of faith and decided to major in Dance Performance & Choreography where I discovered that I wanted to make dance my profession and develop into a professional commercial dancer. Currently, I am training as much as possible, gaining bookings and exposure and will graduate in May with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance Performance & Choreography.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Deciding to turn your passion into your purpose and profession is never easy. I have struggled consistently over the course of this journey. I lost my father at the age of 9. I moved away from my hometown and had to get acclimated to a new state and a new family after my mother remarried. I have always felt “behind” in a sense because I started training later than I thought that I should have. I struggled (and sometimes still do) with self-doubt and the fear of all of this being for nothing. I struggled with my faith. I lost my grandmother at the age of 18 and fell into depression for a little over a year. All of these things forced me to be strong for myself and for my family. These struggles also inspire and motivate me as well. God always sends reaffirmations to you when you need them the most…

We’d love to hear more about your work.
I am a Professional Dancer. I specialize in Heels, Hip-Hop, Jazz, African, Modern, and Ballet. Recently, I discovered my love for heels dancing and have been doing that more than the other genres as of late. I love the way that it makes me feel. Heels classes created a space for me to find out who I am as an artist and in some ways as a woman. It allowed me to be vulnerable, fearless and ultimately elevated my self-esteem. I am most proud of my growth. I know that it may sound a bit cliche but it is true. I am proud of the risks that I choose to take. I am proud that I chose to stick with something that actually created genuine happiness in my life instead of settling for a profession out of stability and fear of the unknown. I am proud of finding myself, It’s interesting that you ask that question, “What sets you apart from others?” because I ask myself that same question consistently. I think that I am still figuring it out but I will say that my presence, ability, and aesthetic speak for me before I even have a chance to explain myself.

What were you like growing up?
Full of life, always. My personality is big, inviting, kind and fun. I was always interested in something active. I was never that kid that was just sitting in the house. I actually tried various art forms before I fell in love with dance. I tried basketball, piano, guitar, art in different mediums and I sang a little.

Contact Info:

• Phone: 4785383290
• Email: aarmst12@scmail.spelman.edu
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beyourself___/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ashthedancer_

Image Credit:
Devin McAllister

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