Dancing with New York City Ballet: Ms. Ash with Sebastian Marcovici in “Haiku” in 2002. Publicity Listings In 2000, she even made her way to the silver screen as the dance double for actress Zoe Saldana in the film Center Stage. A nutritionist told them of healthy eating, and there was time set aside to learn some French because, Ash said, it is "the language of ballet.". Yes; What are the hobbies of Aesha Ash? I found this video as well! When the School of American Ballet contacted her in 2015 to be a founding member of its diversity committee, Ms. Ash was teaching here and there, but her life was largely outside of the ballet world. There is this escape almost; the world sort of falls around you and you get lost. “I gained so much by not being focused on trying to be seen and rise through the ranks,” Ms. Ash said. “It is a lot to carry, and it wasn’t this quick and easy yes. She also served as Zoe Saldana's dance double during more complex sequences in the 2000 film Center Stage. Check out our picks for family friendly movies movies that transcend all ages. "I can still do splits and cartwheels and piqué turns and fouettés that will wow the kids. In a recent Zoom conversation, three Black students, Eunhye Darbouze, Taela Graff and Oliva Bell — all 16 — recalled their reaction to the news. But her mother occasionally sensed her daughter was suffering. She may respond to your note on her blog! Aesha's performance with LINES ballet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnRTodDNRr4, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X04hkBvNoGw. xoxox. “We were all jumping up and down screaming,” Ms. Bell said. The family was on a fixed income and couldn't afford to send both girls to classes. ", "I had no intention to continue dancing," Ash said. "I understood exactly what she meant. The company did not encourage her to stay, and she said she had little fight left in her. Okay...maybe not DESPERATELY seeking. An avid cook, she will often let the music flow as she prepares food in her kitchen. In 2003, amid all these burdens, Ash left the City Ballet. Jonathan Stafford, the artistic director of City Ballet and the school, said that the institution had relied too long on a system that Balanchine put in place: having students from the school and City Ballet return as teachers. The distance from Rochester was a factor, but so was the color of her skin. Retired ballet star Aesha Ash now works to change stereotypes for women of color. But as a dancer, she felt she was just going through the motions. Born in Rochester, New York, on December 30, 1977 to Costello and John Ash, Aesha Ash grew up in a strong, supportive working class family with two brothers, Spencer and Jonathan Ash… "It sounds ridiculous but I loved being behind and seeing how far I could go.". Ms. Ash, a former dancer with New York City Ballet, is returning to teach at the School of American Ballet, the company’s affiliated academy, where she was once a student. "I never liked competition for competition. "If I can take away the hurdles that block most of them, I'm going to do that.". Then she took the natural next step: She joined City Ballet, in 1996. In 2011, she created the Swan Dreams Project, which uses ballet and photography as a way to combat the objectification of Black women and stereotypes. And there was the makeup artist who seemed befuddled by what to do with Ash's skin. But it is dance. "It really lit a fire under us at the school and the company to really dig into the work and look at all of our policies and practices and unconscious bias and how we make decisions," he said. I know I sound a little stalkerish but I just want to find out where I can find her performing. "Of course it was raining. And then there was the performance. "Everybody he would talk to ... he would bring up his daughter," Costello Ash said. Aesha then joined the legendary Bejart Ballet, in Lausanne Switzerland, as a soloist. "You just have this thought, in the back of your mind all the time, that I was the token," she said. Ash hopes to make a difference for her students. “And then being a minority, where you already feel like you have to work twice as hard.”, Slights and comments — whether veiled or not — about her race added up over the years. As an Urban-Suburban student in Pittsford, she had lived part of her life in a world where there were few students of color. Never did she challenge her instructors or instructions, recalled one Joyce Winters dance teacher, Patty Flowerday. " Ash said. Many told of their career dreams that they had not pursued. Ash wondered where she fit in. Reading, photography, learning, traveling, internet surfing and to name a few. Aesha Ash was born in Rochester, New York, USA. I would win often. Ash had worried throughout the week about how the children would respond, and whether the show staged for an audience would deteriorate into chaos and confusion. While her fellow apprentices at City Ballet were given stage makeup, she was given only some lipstick. Eunhye Darbouze, a 16-year-old School of American Ballet student, said seeing someone who looks like her at the head of the class makes all the difference. Sometimes, when the house is quiet and she is alone in her California home, she will crank up some pop favorites and lose herself. Yet she persevered, both because she relished the new challenges and because of the different artistic world she was inhabiting. STZESP (652), Living a Ballet Dream: Six Dancers Tell Their Stories, Greatest dance scene in a non-musical? She also kept her feelings of isolation  from her parents, not wanting them to worry. Here she is dancing in "Center Stage". She was also the dance double for Zoe Saldana in the film, Center Stage. Jonathan Stafford, the school's new artistic director, said hearing Ash's painful experiences helped them face hard truths. That excites me. Nor is it back on a Hollywood film set. The project seemed to be well-intentioned, but nebulous. And then having taken my world experience of having traveled, experiencing other cultures and customs and bringing that into artistry and movement and what that then gives the world.”, This, she said, is what she tries to pass on to students. While internally Ash may have struggled, externally she presented a picture of a preternaturally refined and poised young woman. But Ramon Flowers, a dancer who visited her backstage one night, intervened. Aesha's Life Shows/ Her Roles Her ... Ms. Ash returned to the United States in 2005 and joined Alonzo King's Lines Ballet. “But when he said ‘permanent faculty,’ we looked at each other and it was a feeling unmatched. There are really so many other beautiful ways to participate.”, All the same, being the first has its pressures. I keep reading a lot of articles on how she's one of the first African-American prima ballerinas in one of the country's most famous ballet companies....and the thought never occurred to me until I read that. Aesha Ash breaks barriers at School of Americ... Aesha Ash seen at New York City's famed School of American Ballet. [January 2005], Living a Ballet Dream: Six Dancers Tell Their Stories, View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro. Yes, it’s a big deal. "I saw people deal with it very aggressively and get in shouting matches back and forth. "I feel a motivation, kind of a fire behind my eyes," Darbouze told CBS News. "I loved pushing myself," she said. After her retirement, her career as a dancer seemed officially done. “We’re Black girls. It's what her family could afford. She was also featured in the New York City Ballet Workout II video, Barbie Nutcracker, as well the principal dance double for Zoe Saldana in the movie Center Stage. A classically trained ballerina, Aesha Ash has experienced this moment on some of the world's grandest stages. "… She had to grow up very fast.". Aesha Ash‘ father name is NA. There were some who just wanted to blend in and wash their color away. It's a little corny in some parts, but an excellent ballet movie and cult classic for sure. Ash is dressed just as she would if on the stage in New York or Switzerland, but she is nowhere near those stages. She began on the streets of Rochester being photographed — in full ballerina regalia — with young children. "What better way to dispel these stereotypes than as a swan or a princess or a fairy onstage every night," Ash said. Center Stage (2000) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Throughout the week, there were other moments that told Ash that this camp—once nothing more than a simple plan committed to paper—had transformed into her very vision. Rochester City Ballet dancers fuse dance, craft beer, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy.

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