Ashley is a very passionate, proud and professional dance fitness instructor. She started dancing at a young age and has had training in Jazz, Modern, Hip Hop, Latin and African Dance. She was awarded “Best Zumba Instructor in Los Angeles” in 2013.
Who got you into dance?
Initially, my mom. She thought it would be a great hobby to keep me occupied, so she threw me in a pair of dance shoes as soon as my little legs were ready. Once I started, I fell in love with dancing and the arts so I decided to keep studying and the rest is history!
What is your favorite part about dancing?
Dance allows me the freedom to express myself without judgement or insecurity. It’s also a great stress reliever, keeps me in shape and gives me an excuse to be the crazy, wild and goofy person I secretly am.
What is your favorite style of dance?
I love African dance because the movements and music make me feel energetic and vibrant. Plus African dance gives me one of the best workouts of my life!
Do you have any dancer role models?
Even though I was never a huge ballet fan, I really admire Misty Copeland and her story of perseverance and breaking boundaries. It’s always empowering to see strong examples of women and diversity within the dance world.
It’s always empowering to see strong examples of women and diversity within the dance world.
Have you had any challenging moments with dance that you can share? If so, how did you overcome that challenge?
My biggest challenge is learning how to rekindle my passion for dancing/teaching dance fitness after doing it for so many years. After a while, I begin to feel stagnant, so the best way I overcome that is by learning a new dance format or genre that challenges me in a way I’ve never experienced before. It definitely works!
What is your choreography process like?
I’m a very visual person, so I like recording myself throughout my choreography process. I’ll also take other dance classes, listen to new music or do something artistic for inspiration.
Many young dancers worry about their body types. What are your thoughts on body types in the world of dance?
As someone who has always been a curvy gal, my belief is that dance and fitness is all about your state of mind and how you feel versus how “skinny” you are. Having confidence and knowing your self worth is more important to me than body type. Don’t be afraid to own your body and werk it!
Having confidence and knowing your self worth is more important to me than body type. Don’t be afraid to own your body and werk it!
Want to have a dance party AND burn calories at the same time? This is the class for you! Get jiggy with us and workout to your favorite old skool hip hop beats! Old School Hip Hop with Ashley is featured on our Kickstarter video and we have a Virtual Flashmob of this class just for you! Join in on the fun by watching or dancing to our Virtual Flashmob workout and sharing on social media with #HipShaker. Move with us and help this dance community grow.
Hi Gorgeous! One of the things I’m so proud of at Hip Shake Fitness is we have such strong, powerful and amazing woman who lead our dance workouts. I’ve now been working with them for almost a year and I can truly say that I love each and every one of them and enjoy seeing…
Do you have what it takes to dance your way to season 15? FOX’s So You Think You Can Dance is casting in Los Angeles this month and they’re looking for YOU!
Learn hip hop dance this summer in the comfort of your own home. I’ve got some fierce babes ready to teach you your fave moves for the summer. Hip Hop In The Summer Forget hot girl summer, I’m ready for hip hop girl summer! Summertime is the best season to get your hip hop dance…
The beach is great for many things: sun, sand, hanging out with friends and ab workouts! Might as well get a tan and get six pack abs in one place, right? We’ve got 5 easy ab workouts that you and your beach babes can do thanks to Ashley and her Strong And Sexy workout!
It was a Friday, March 11 at 6pm when we scheduled to shoot the dance workout scenes shoot for Kickstarter. We shot the scenes at Beat Box Studio in Culver City, LA. We planned to shoot two videos, ‘Lips are movin’ & ‘Old school hip hop’ within 4 hours. Usually, we don’t get rainy days in LA but, of course,…
Spring is here so we’ve got a new challenge: 21 Day Spring Dance Intensive! 3 weeks, 3 different dance styles, 3 muscle groups to focus on and 1 healthy you. ??
