Ashley Onks
Corps de Ballet
Ballet San Antonio
Hometown:
Los Angeles, California
Joined BSA:
2022
Ashley began dancing at the age of four years old in Los Angeles, California. Most of her adolescent years were spent training at Los Angeles Ballet Academy under the direction of Andrea Paris-Gutierrez, Conny Mathot and the Royal Ballet School’s current artistic manager, José Carayol. During these years, Ashley trained under the Royal Academy of Dance exam curriculum.
She then went on to pursue her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the University of California Irvine, where she graduated with a BFA in Dance Performance at the Claire Trevor School of the Arts and a business minor in Innovation and Entrepreneurship in 2022. Onks had the pleasure of working with the incredible artists, Lar Lubovich, as well as previous San Francisco Ballet principal, Vitor Luiz and previous dancer with Los Angeles Ballet, Diane Diefenderfer during her time there. Additionally, she was invited to Complexions Contemporary Ballet’s pre-professional program in New York City, where she worked closely with choreographers, Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson and performed alongside the company in their 2020 Gala performance at the Joyce Theatre.
Directly after receiving her diploma, Ashley was delighted to have been given the opportunity to join Ballet San Antonio as an apprentice for their 2022-23 season. During her off-season, she completed her 450 hour comprehensive Pilates Teacher training certification where she learned to teach classical pilates mat, reformer, cadillac table, chair and more!
Ashley is thrilled to have the privilege of being invited back for her second season with Ballet San Antonio as a member of the Corps de ballet.
Get to know Ashley
When did you start dancing, and why?
Since the age of 4, I was always interested in my mother’s old pointe shoes and tried to dance around the house in them! Seeing that ballet sparked an interest and brought me such joy as a young girl, my mom brought me to ballet classes and the rest is history!
What inspires you to be a professional dancer?
As a professional dancer, I’m inspired largely by my colleagues. Both the dancers and the artistic team show up every single day ready to work hard and continually work to improve and perfect their art, all while staying humble and encouraging to one another.
Why did you choose Ballet San Antonio?
I chose BSA because of the encouraging and warm environment that it nurtures as well as the opportunity to work with some of the most inspiring teachers and to work alongside the incredibly talented artists that make up the company.