We Welcome our Guest Dancer: Ashley Thopiah

Ashley Thopiah, a sophomore at Butler University pursing a BFA in Dance Performance began her formal dance training under the direction of Christine Rich and Luciana Rezende at the Christine Rich Studio Dance Academy at the age of 2. She was in the Excellence Program, which included ballet, tap, jazz, and acrobatics. Ashley has danced the leading roles in many of the great classics such as Don Quixote, Paquita, and La Boutique Fantasque. In addition, she has competed at YAGP in 2011.  Her group placed top 12 in the semi-final in Chicago, and went to New York City to compete in the world finals.
​She additionally completed a summer dance intensive at the Bolshoi Ballet in New York City in 2013. After 16 years of dancing at the academy, she continued her education at Butler University where she receives extensive training from their faculty including Marek Cholewa, Rosanna Ruffo, Derek Reid, Stefan Laurent, Cynthia Pratt, Susan McGuire and Laura Byram. Ashley was given the opportunity to perform corps roles in full length ballets including The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Giselle, and Cinderella.

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Ashley will perform the role of Swanilda in Coppelia Excerpts, at our Spring Concert .
The Performance will be on Sunday, May 21st, at 4:00 PM, at the Lincoln Hall Theater (702 S Wright St, Urbana, IL).
​Free Admission.