Ashley Kaylynn Green Maintains Commitment to Authenticity at Ailey

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater standout Ashley Kaylynn Green is securing her artistic voice through an uncompromising commitment to authenticity as the renowned company moves forward under artistic director Alicia Graf Mack.

Building a Foundation in Charleston and Columbia

Green began her training in Charleston, South Carolina, at age 4 after her grandmother suggested she enroll in a local ballet class. She fell in love with dance at age 8 when she joined her studio’s competition team and studied multiple styles. At age 10, she watched the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater perform in her hometown. She saw Matthew Rushing and Linda Celeste Sims perform “Wade in the Water,” and Hope Boykin perform “A Case of You.” She immediately turned to her mother and stated she was going to do that.

To access rigorous training, Green and her mother partnered with Columbia City Jazz, located in Columbia, South Carolina. Lam noted that Green was bright, picked things up quickly, was hyperfocused on details, and possessed an old soul that made her dancing feel mature.

Stepping Into Professional Companies

Following her early training, Green attended Point Park University under the direction of Garfield Lemonius, where she earned her BFA in Dance in 2020. At Point Park, she performed works by Peter Chu, Aszure Barton, Kyle Abraham, and Darrell Grand Moultrie. Upon graduating, she was only able to audition for two companies before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. One of them was Seattle’s Whim W’Him, directed by Olivier Wevers, who offered her a contract just before shutdowns began in 2020.

Green moved to Seattle four months later. The company mounted a digital season that year, and Green did not perform onstage with Whim W’Him until 2021. She danced with the company for just under two years. Wevers noted that her movement has strength without force, vulnerability without fragility, and confidence without ego. Wevers nominated Green for a Princess Grace Award, which she received in 2021. That same year, Dance Magazine named her one of “25 to Watch.” Green has also performed her own improvisational work at Into the Open Music Festival and Amalgamation, and created work with McKoy Dance Project, Jonah Bokaer Arts Foundation, and Arkansas Ballet.

Rising Through the Ranks at Ailey

In 2021, Green joined AAADT under the direction of Robert Battle. She quickly emerged as a prominent performer through her command of multiple movement styles. She worked with Kyle Abraham on his 2022 piece “Are You in Your Feelings?” and danced Alonzo King’s “Following the Subtle Current Upstream” in 2023. When Alicia Graf Mack assumed the role of artistic director in 2025, she viewed Green as a key representative of the Ailey aesthetic. Graf Mack noted that Green dresses every movement with swag, style, physicality, grace, elegance, and accessibility.