Aesha Ash. Image by @joshisaacsphotography

Aesha was born in Rochester, New York. Training at the School of American Ballet she went on to dance with New York City Ballet, Béjart Ballet, Alonzo King LINES Ballet and Morphoses by The Wheeldon Company. In 2011 Aesha founded 'The Swan Dreams Project', her aim, to dispel stereotypes about black women in ballet. After a successful career in dance, she became the first African American female faculty member at the School of American Ballet. Having begun her journey at the School of American Ballet, she has come full circle and is now the schools Associate Chair of Faculty.

Aesha is a strong and confident individual with clear vision, we  hope you enjoy her insights as much as we do.

What do you feel is important when auditioning for either a school or a company?

To not hide! Physically putting yourself out there sounds rather obvious, but I am not merely saying to make sure you are not hanging out in the back of the room and trying to become one with the wall – I have been there. I mean not to hide who you are as a dancer. To not be afraid of showing your individuality and what it is that sets you apart from other dancers.

What are the qualities that you personally think make a good dancer/performer/artist?

There are so many things that make a dancer/performer/artist. Beyond talent there is hunger, curiosity, intelligence, individuality, and humility come to mind. I think hunger gives one the stamina needed to get through the challenges of this profession and the fuel to go the extra mile.

Curiosity keeps a dancer interesting to me. These artists will never bore you. They continue to explore their art, their roles and themselves. They are full of questions and wide eyed for your responses. Intelligent dancers are those that “get it” and who are “with you” throughout your classes and/or rehearsals. These dancers know how to pull together their hunger and curiosity to produce wonderful results. Artists who are not pretending to be anyone else, but themselves.

Humility is very important to me. I think when a dancer becomes too full of themselves and what they know, the above attributes disappear, and the dancer becomes stale. In the end, try to find balance. Taking time to enjoy to beauty of life and other cultural experiences. All this colors your life and your art.

Aesha shares a snippet of her story

I wanted to pursue a career on Broadway, but when a guest teacher told me that I had promise in ballet, I shifted my focus to ballet. At some point I was told that it would be challenging for me as a woman of color in ballet. Having grown up with two older brothers, I spent my childhood taking on challenges and trying to prove what I could do. This was another challenge I was going to take head on. Lucky for me, ballet was something I loved, and it was nothing like seeing if I could ride my bike down a long flight of stairs! Then there’s growing up in the inner city and attending predominately white suburban schools my entire youth, which had a major impact on my pursuit to change stereotypes as well. Although, the big brother challenges are much more fun to talk about.

Aesha Ash 2022

TED Talk - Finding Home