BalletX dancer Ashley Simpson finds challenge and acceptance in Philadelphia

A contemporary ballet dancer, Simpson has trained in all styles of dance. She particularly loves ballet, which is so fundamental to other forms that BalletX rehearsals always begin with a classical warm-up. However, the company is not a classical one that performs canonical ballets. As Simpson explained, this means you won’t see works like Swan Lake or The Nutcracker.

What you will see at BalletX “allows more freedom” of movement and style, she said. As a contemporary company, it presents new works, takes artistic risks, and incorporates a range of musical and dance styles. Influences include modern dance, which has features like bare feet or softer shoes, a lower center of gravity, and more introspective themes. This strategy innovates ballet for the future, with artists asking, “How can we make it something different, something new?”

An honored villain

The Little Prince exemplifies this kind of innovation. Based on the book of the same name, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s dance is a parable for adults, driven by symbols rather than narrative. Simpson interprets its childlike wonder as meaningful for our weary times. The Little Prince innovates form as well, with pointe shoes appearing alongside various styles of movement and elements of dance theater. Taking on the role originated by former BalletX dancer Stanley Glover—and created for a male body—posed a challenge that honored and intimidated Simpson. Glover performed the Snake as a creature whose grace and charm made his power and unpredictability more fearsome.

“He did such a beautiful job in that role,” she said. Simpson used Glover’s performance “as a blueprint” to develop her Snake. She enjoyed playing the villain, and the role demonstrated her range.

A dancer’s path

Simpson’s journey to the stage began in West Palm Beach, Florida, where she grew up taking dance classes and attending “two incredibly amazing schools” for young artists: Bak Middle School of the Arts and Dreyfoos School of the Arts. Competitive audition admission meant students often had as much to learn from each other as from their teachers.

“Being in rooms with people better than you makes you better,” Simpson observed, and this was an important part of her training. Summer dance intensives with the Joffrey Ballet, Alonzo King LINES, Jacob’s Pillow, BalletX, and others followed.

New York was Simpson’s next stop. In the Ailey/Fordham BFA in Dance program, her teachers were former professional dancers, some with experience in Broadway, film, and commercial dance. Students took a wide variety of dance classes, and “it was incredible to be trained in so many styles.” Being in New York provided opportunities for networking and auditioning. Before graduation (and mid-pandemic), Simpson landed her first job at Collage Dance in Memphis. She finished her studies remotely while dancing at Collage, which she called “a great first job experience.”

“Such a fulfilling life”

At BalletX, Simpson has worked several times with Jamar Roberts, a nationally notable choreographer who praises her dancing. She acknowledges Roberts as an extraordinary choreographic voice with “a way of making dance look like poetry on stage.” Performing the work of another notable choreographer, Justin Peck, at the Mann Center is one of Simpson’s favorite BalletX moments. Become a Mountain (2022), performed to live music by Dan Deacon, was a transcendent experience. Deacon’s music touches souls, she said, and seeing the audience from the stage enhanced the artists’ connection to the viewers.

The highs of dancing professionally come with lows like injury, and being kind to yourself is Simpson’s best hack. “This is the only body you will ever have,” she said. Simpson also noted that some companies do not warmly welcome dancers who do not fit classical ballet’s Western European aesthetics. “Hair and tights enhance these differences,” she said, othering dancers of color. Simpson encourages young and aspiring dancers to find places of acceptance, as she has done in Philly. “Shout out to BalletX; I’ve never felt more accepted,” Simpson said.

Seeing her perform with fellow company members demonstrates the diversity of American ballet dancers in the 21st century. “It provides such a fulfilling life,” Simpson told me, “to be able to share my love for dance, my love for this art form” as a career. It shows in her performances, which are memorable to watch. Catch Simpson with BalletX in The Four Seasons Reimagined (September 10-12 at Villanova) and in collaboration with musician Ty Page at Echo Park #1, an evening of ambient and experimental music (September 13 at Maryland’s Pikesville Armory).

At top: Dancer Ashley Simpson. (Photo by Gabriel Bienczycki for BalletX.)

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