Company

Name: Ashley Griffin

Company Position: Company Artist

Joined Ballet RI: Joined as a Company dancer in 2023.

Hometown: Florence, SC

Training/Education: Ashley joined Boston Ballet School’s Pre-Professional Program on full scholarship at the age of 16. Then, she joined Orlando Ballet as Trainee on full scholarship, and was promoted to Orlando Ballet Second Company after one season. She has also attended programs at the School of American Ballet, Houston Ballet, Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell at the Kennedy Center, Chautauqua Institution, CPYB, Charlotte Ballet, Boston Ballet, Orlando Ballet, Philadelphia Ballet, and the “ART of” intensives supported by William Forsythe in Zurich, Switzerland and Madrid, Spain. In 2020, Ashley joined Dayton Ballet as a company dancer, where she received opportunities to perform in principle roles such as the Sugar Plum Fairy in the The Nutcracker, the pas de deux girl in Gerald Arpino’s Light Rain, and Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby. She has also spent two summers participating in a choreographic collaboration with Dayton Dance Initiative. Currently, she is a graduate student at New York University and has previously completed a B.A. from Northeastern University with Summa Cum Laude honors and Boston Ballet’s Adaptive Dance Teacher Certification. During her first season with Ballet RI, some of her favorite performances have included the Fascinatin’ Rhythm and Man I Love girl in George Balanchine’s Who Cares, the Sugar Plum Fairy and Dew Drop Fairy in The Nutcracker, Desdemona in Jose Limon’s Moor’s Pavane, and the Winter Fairy in Yury Yanowsky’s Cinderella.

 Favorite Quote: “When you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic.”

Favorite Role or Ballet & Why: My dream role is Juliet from Romeo and Juliet because it a profound story of love that is powerful and timeless. There is an incredible emotional contrast to artistically relish in, and the music is simply magnificent. My other favorite role will always be the Sugar Plum Fairy. It’s an absolute classic, and I’m so grateful to have performed it in two professional companies.

Accomplishment you are most proud of: Dancing professionally at three professional companies while earning two college degrees.

Fun Fact about yourself: One of my favorite hobbies is photographing new places and experiences around the world.

Follow Ashley on Instagram @__ashleygriffin__