Ashley's fine art work is focused in the areas of drawing & painting, as well as sculpture, fabrication, and just about anything else! 

She especially enjoys creating specialty costumes           and intricately detailed marionettes.

Ashley began her dance training at the age of two, with the Goldsboro Civic Ballet.  She grew to become a Senior Company Dancer with the Goldsboro Ballet as well as Artistic Productions of Goldsboro and Kinston. 

She is proficient in Classical Ballet &  Pointe, as well as Modern & Contemporary Dance, Tap, Jazz, and a variety of other dance styles. 

Throughout high school and college Ashley trained as many as 6 days a week, and attended an intensive dance program every summer.

She was accepted to the NC Governor’s School for Dance in 1999.

Ashley has performed many lead roles in dance and theatre productions. Some of her favorites include: 

Louise in Carousel

Eliza in The King and I

Anastasia in Cinderella

Jitterbug  in Wizard of Oz

and the "Red Fairy" or

Temperament Fairy in Sleeping Beauty. 

Ashley has danced in 18 productions of  The Nutcracker, and has performed nearly every role in the ballet including: Clara, Mouse King, Arabian, and Snow Queen. She has provided choreography for the full- length holiday ballet four times,  for performances produced by three different dance schools in eastern NC.

Ashley is currently dancing professionally as a corps member of Forward Motion Dance Company,  and frequently performing at events  in the Wilmington NC area.

Ashley is certified in the Cecchetti Method of Classical Ballet,  and she has over 20 years of experience teaching dance to students of all ages.

She is a fun teacher and an inspiring mentor, who motivates aspiring artists to strive for excellence in the arts and acheieve their very best. 

Ashley's students have been accepted to a number of prestigious summer programs, as well as year-round training programs throughout the country.  Emily Lawler (pictured below) is currently attending the year-round program at the Joffery Ballet School in NYC.

 Ashley served as Choreographer for Stagestruck and Center Stage Theatre for a total of 9 musical  productions including:

Lil' Abner, Into the Woods, Guys and Dolls,

Fiddler on the Roof, & The Wizard of Oz. 

She was honored to receive the Herman Award for Outstanding Choreography six times between 1998 and 2007. 

In 1995, Ashley founded the Goldsboro Silver Tappers, a nonprofit dance ensemble for seniors, with her Grandmother and lifetime role model, Grace McEvoy.

Ashley helped these dancers achieve both regional and state awards in the NC Senior Games.  The development of this project led to Ashley being selected as the winner of a National Scholarship from the Target Corporation, in 2000. 

23 years later, the Silver Tappers ensemble is still dancing & performing in the Goldsboro NC area.

Ashley had the honor of holding several National Preliminary pageant titles, and enjoys providing pageant coaching & talent choreography for girls of    all ages.  

She encourages contestants to achieve success through setting goals and using strategies for positive self-talk. 

 Ashley strongly believes that the most important aspect of any competition is HAVING FUN with the preparation, the process, and the pageant. 

As Artistic Director of The Dance Element &  Element Productions, some of Ashley’s largest creative projects have involved unique adaptations of classic children’s stories,   and the choreography of a cast of dancers to perform in her incredible hand-crafted costumes.   

Ashley loves to incorporate the use of film and other media to enhance production design, and she often adds subtle, humorous details that surprise and delight audience members.

Some of Ashley's original stage adaptations include:

Performed at the New Hanover County Public Library's

Story Extravaganza, 2012.

 Performed at the New Hanover County Public Library's Haunted Library, 2014.

Performed at the New Hanover County Public Library's

Story Extravaganza, 2015.

 In August of 2012, The Dance Element studio and the Element Productions Dance Performance Company premiered an entirely original Dance Production of this beloved classic story, showcasing 32 Wilmington NC kids.

The audiences of four sold out shows were amazed!

The children in the cast shared an amazing performance experience that they will remember    

for the rest of their lives.

Ashley traveled to New Milford, CT in 2014 and attended a  Summer Intensive Workshop with the world renowned Pilobolus Dance Company.



In 2013 & 2015, she attended the Dance Life Teacher Conference in Scottsdale, AZ , where she took full advantage of four action-packed days training, dancing, and networking with master dance teachers including:

Bruce Marks, Roni Mahler,  Derrick Yanford,  Joe Tremaine, Joe Lanteri,  Tim Fournier,  Eileen Juric,  Diane Gudat, and many more of the dance industry's most renowned performers, artists, and educators. 

Ashley's students are her

greatest inspiration! 

 She truly LOVES what she does, and she hopes to never stop learning, growing, & dancing.

Dance Studio Life Magazine  July 2012

Read the national dance magazine's feature about Wilmington NC Dance Studio Owner Teacher & Director,

Ashley Barnes

WECT NEWS Feature - July 2012

WECT News discusses the premiere of Charlotte's Web with Ashley Barnes and the cast, at The Dance Element studio in Wilmington NC.

WHQR Midday Interview - July 2012

Listen to Director, Ashley Barnes and Musical Composer, Brian Raynor discuss the making of Charlotte's Web. 

WHQR Midday Interview- July 2011

Rachel Lewis Hilburn chats with Director of The Dance Element and the Element Productions Dance Company, Ashley Barnes for the 2011 premiere of her original show, The Velveteen Rabbit.

Contact Artistic Director, Ashley Barnes:

The Dance Element, Wilmington NC

910.685.3787

fun@thedanceelement.com

grow@elementproductions.org

Enroll in Ballet & Dance Classes with Ashley