Rhythm Dance Academy is proud to announce that Ashley is Miss Connecticut 2008!

Click HERE to visit Ashley's Live Journal Blog!

I have been dancing for 20 years and my training includes ballet, contemporary, jazz, lyrical, modern, and musical theater. This summer I was crowned Miss Connecticut 2008 at the Garde Arts Center in New London, and was the recipient of the overall talent award from my lyrical routine. I am also working towards my doctorate in physical therapy at Quinnipiac University. Being able to share my love for dance is just the beginning. Inspiring young dancers to discover and be proud of who they are is what I like most about teaching at Rhythm Dance Academy!!!

I have been dancing collectively for approximately 17 years, including Ballet, Tap, Jazz and Hip Hop. Though Hip Hop is my favorite style of dance, I love trying and learning all styles (from Greek line dancing to ballroom, mambo and swing). When not teaching dance, I spend my time being a stay-at-home mom to two young  girls (school age and toddler), and going to the gym. My favorite dance memory is seeing my daughter dance on stage and loving every minute of it. What I like most about teaching at Rhythm Dance is the opportunity to watch students grow, both in their dance abilities and also their love of this wonderful art form.

I have been dancing for 20 years, trained in ballet, tap, jazz, lyric, modern/contemporary, pointe, and hip-hop.  While my favorite style of dance is tap, I appreciate all forms of dance and enjoyed the opportunity to study and learn various forms of traditional world dance in college, including Chinese, Indian, Latin, and Eastern European dance forms.  When I’m not teaching dance, you will find me working as a full-time sales representative for Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, teaching aerobics classes at Physique Plus, jogging along the bike path, or simply enjoying some time to watch TV.  My most memorable dance moment was performing overseas in a peace festival hosted in Peng Lai, Shandong, China in the summer of 2006 as President of the Bucknell Dance Company.  I was proud to present American forms of dance, including Jazz and Tap, to an international audience, but was even more honored to deliver a speech as an American “ambassador” celebrating the value of peace and friendship between nations.  This rare opportunity helps us appreciate how dance is a pure, international language that knows no barriers!  As a teacher at Rhythm Dance, I hope to inspire other young girls’ passion and help them to realize that you don’t have to become a professional dancer on Broadway to have dance be a profound and impactful part of your life!

I have been dancing for 18 years, and my training includes hip-hop, street jazz, contemporary, jazz, lyrical, ballet, modern, tap, broadway, and gymnastics. These days you'll find me strictly teaching hip-hop, street jazz, and contemporary, as those are my favorite styles of dance. When I'm not teaching at Rhythm Dance or at my mother's dance studio, The Hackworth School of Performing Arts in Easthampton, MA, I spend my time at Quinnipiac University studying to become an Entrepreneur and Business Manager, dancing in the QU Dance Company, and working at the Student Health Services. I always find time to relax with my friends and family, have fun, and pursue my passion for the arts by dancing, singing, and playing my guitar as much as possible. My favorite dance memory was at the national dance convention "The Pulse" this summer in New York City. While taking Wade Robson's hip-hop class, he pulled me up front and we performed his choreography
together, side by side, for the rest of the class. Being able to surround myself with other dancers and artists and sharing my passion of the arts is what I like most about teaching at Rhythm Dance Academy.