Ashayla Byrd (she/they) is a blossoming dance writer, artist, and administrator living, breathing, writing, dancing, metro-ing, and be-bopping in Washington, DC. She supports dance communities by creating brave spaces for queer, Black, and/or Brown bodies to witness and be in fellowship with one another and amplifying their voices. Ashayla's dancing and writing both serve as modalities that make the intangible eternal, to make the stories that both she and others have experienced last forever. 

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Originally from Virginia Beach, Ashayla’s upbringing was inundated with arts of all kinds. They were born to parents that sang with the birds–true to the family name–and never shied away from kitchen dance parties. Ashayla studied vocal music and dance throughout their primary school years, cultivating a love of the written word simultaneously. They received their BA in Dance and English from Shenandoah University in May of 2021. Ashayla has always done entirely too much at once. Two days after graduating, they crash-landed in Washington, DC to begin their career as the multi-hyphenate storyteller they always dreamed of becoming. 

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Ashayla currently serves as the Conference Production Associate for the Association of Performing Arts Professionals following her time as the Manager of Executive Affairs. Throughout her time in DC, Ashayla has served her first and only dance home–Dance Place–in numerous capacities, as a volunteer, intern, multi-project manager, and staff member. She is a dance journalist with publications in Dancing in the District, The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, and Memoirs of Blacks in Ballet. She has danced with professional artists including dani tirrell, Mark Caserta, Tiffanie Carson, Yoshito Sakuraba, Gesel Mason, and Anna María Alvarez.  

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Ashayla is eager to build her profile, expand their abilities as a journalist, and continue to mine the depths of her artistry. They will continue to explore the richness of dance and writing communities everywhere! When Ashayla is not scouring the Earth for her next story, she is reveling in the comforts of home: plush blankets, assorted teas and coffees, snacks, countless blush- and earth-toned items, and her two tuxedo cats–Jamal and Mila.