Ashlie Swallow
Director of the Community Dance Academy at Walnut Hill
Ashlie Swallow is an accomplished dance educator and choreographer. A valued member of the Community Dance Academy (CDA) faculty since 2014, she is passionate about helping young dancers discover confidence in their artistry, build strong technical foundations, and cultivate a lasting appreciation for the art of dance.
At the CDA, Ashlie has made significant contributions to both curriculum and performance. She wrote a curriculum for the early childhood program, served as a primary ballet instructor for the former Summer Youth Dance program, and introduced Horton Technique to advanced-level students. In addition to her work at the CDA, Ashlie has spent the past 15 years at the Newton Country Day School, where she is a dance teacher and grade-level dean. Ashlie has extensive experience in curriculum design and the implementation of cross-curricular projects. She has choreographed numerous classical and contemporary works, including story ballets based on Alice in Wonderland, The Giver, The Paper Bag Princess, and Theseus and the Minotaur, among others.
Ashlie began her ballet training at a young age with Shirley Kayne of Providence, RI, and attended summer programs with Burklyn Ballet Theatre and the Limón Dance Company. Ashlie is a graduate of Goucher College, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance and Psychology with a Dance/Movement Therapy concentration. Ashlie is an ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum. She also holds a certificate from The Ailey School in the pedagogy of beginner Horton Technique. She has completed multiple teacher training courses at the 92Y/Harkness Dance Center in New York City, and her early childhood curriculum is deeply informed by the movement-education principles of Anne Green Gilbert. Ashlie is a member of the National Dance Education Organization, and she has been an adjudicator for the National Honor Society for Dance Arts Award.