Ashlé Dawson

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Teacher Bio

Ashlé Dawson (she/her) is indisputedly one of the most versatile choreographers and performers in the industry. Through uniting her own blended heritage and multi-cultural dance background with commercial and contemporary forms, her work has become globally recognized. Recent credits include choreographer and activist with Global Citizen Festival & 360, Wild N’ Out (Prince Royce), Times Square New Years Eve (Univision) for artists Don Oma...read more

Class Descriptions

Commercial Latin Fusion

A dance style like no other. Experience the creativity and originality of Ashlé Dawson’s Commercial Latin Fusion, a seamless blend of Latin dance styles met with commercial and technical dance form. This unique and heavily developed style is based on her years of extensive knowledge, technique and training in multiple dance fields, combined with her background and passion for Latin dance, culture and music. This class will give each dancer something new to carry with them along with increased versatility and cultural knowledge. Class begins with a proper jazz/yoga based warm up for alignment, strength & conditioning. Then we progress to an introduction of Latin body movement & styling honing in on dynamics, isolations and texture. You will be introduced to a new world of dance including Salsa, Bachata, Reggaeton, Cha Cha Cha, Afro-Cuban, Tribal, Samba and more all while hearing and applying familiar terminology ranging from jazz to hip hop styles to classical & contemporary. This class is designed for everyone from the beginner dancer to the advanced, ladies & gents, and all backgrounds with a heavy emphasis on dancers wishing to work with artists as backup dancers and excel commercially. All are welcome, come add something new to your repertoire, prepare for an audition or simply add some fun to your week. Versatility = Bookability.

(Heels for the ladies are used when the material is appropriate, but not required.)

Contemporary Floorwork

Find your inner ninja. This class will bring you to a deeper level of understanding body alignment, weight shifting, placement, and release technique. Each exercise is precisely instructed and broken down allowing the student to visually understand the material before physically executing it. Develop core strength, new movement vocabulary and proper safety to execute tricks to, from, and on the floor. This class is a complement to any dance background or concentration. Long sleeves and pants are HIGHLY recommended.

Contemporary Lyrical

This class is for everyone. Strong focus and demand for proper technique, alignment, shaping and development of legit core strength will be demonstrated and taught. Combos will range from slow, dramatic, and emotional to quirky, funky, and at times avant-garde. Dancers will learn to let go of doubts while pushing themselves and enjoying the actual process of learning, rather than focusing on the final execution of choreography.

Commercial Jazz

With extensive experience in the commercial dance world, Ashlé brings a blend of both NY and LA vibes into her class and choreography. The combos will focus on helping the dancer understand where dynamics come from, individuality in their movement, picking up new styles quickly, and working to develop natural stage presence that is essential to work commercially. Many times class will incorporate an audition-like guided freestyle to help prepare the dancer for what to expect while auditioning.