How Ashley Everett Became Beyoncé’s Background Dancer
There are not many entertainers who are in the same league as Beyoncé. She does it all and does it well. The singer, actor, and dancer expects nothing less from those who work with her, especially her background dancers. For over a decade, Ashley Everett has been a staple alongside Beyoncé on stage and in videos. She began working as her background dancer when she was just 17 years old.
Beyoncé’s choreographer initially scouted Ashley Everett
Everett, a California native, moved to New York when she was a teenager to pursue her professional dance career dreams. She began training at the Alvin Ailey studio. While there, a chance meeting with someone close to the Queen Bey would change everything.
“When I was 16, and I was training at Alvin Ailey, Beyoncé was rehearsing for an award show that she was going to do in New York. Her choreographer was in the hallway, and we just passed by each other, and he just saw me, and so he invited me in the room, and Beyoncé was in there barefoot, sweating, no makeup on, hair a mess, just working hard,” she told Allure Magazine. “She was so sweet. And he took my information, and then I never heard from him.”
“But then, like a few months later, was her audition. Her choreographer, Frank Gatson, remembered me from that day,” she added. “So impressions and timing are everything.”
She gave up Julliard to tour with Beyoncé
Everett nailed her audition and was offered to work on music videos with Beyoncé as a background dancer, becoming a standout in the “Single Ladies” music video. That eventually turned into an offer for her to go on tour with the superstar. But she had a difficult decision to make as she’d already been accepted into Julliard’s School of Dance.
“As a little girl I dreamed of going to Juilliard. I watched “Save The Last Dance,” and it was one of my dreams in life. When I got accepted, I was like “OMG, this is amazing.” I planned on going, I was enrolled. I pulled out a week before I was supposed to move into the dorm because the tour [The Beyoncé Experience] got extended,” she told Dyana Marie in a 2017 interview. “I was having a hard time deciding, I asked around for advice, and everybody said follow your heart and do what you want to do. Obviously, it was a great decision and either way I feel like I would’ve been happy. I still would’ve been winning. They were both dreams and goals of mine. But yeah, it was super hard to turn it down.”
Choosing to work with Beyoncé proved to be the best decision. She’s performed on every major Beyoncé tour since then, eventually becoming her dance captain.
Her career extends beyond her work with the living legend
Outside of her work with Beyoncé, Everett stays booked and busy. She’s performed with Usher, Ciara, Ne-Yo, Luke James, and others. Everett is also an actor, appearing in the VH1 dance drama, Hit the Floor, and multiple commercials.
Everett is also a model and fitness enthusiast. She recently launched a line as a co-owner of Cachet Brands, which is marketed as a luxury essentials line. They sell CBD-infused oils, edibles flower, skincare, and topicals.
