Ashley Lynn Miller

05/27/2026

05/24/2026

2 weeks post op & happy to report I'm still a dancer✨
Learning choreo virtually with Kristy Clement, my artistic director at Confluence dance co .arts

Went to withdraw from the June 6th community show that I was scheduled to be one of the pro performers in, and when I shared my current limitations, Kristy basically said "hold my beer," and proceeded to restructure her idea to fit my mobility and ability right now rather than take me out of it.

While I do have to miss the masterclass that will be offered by one of the visiting guest companies that I was looking forward to, it was so good for me to already have a dance gig lined up post surgery. I had to withdraw from so much this spring and summer, and so many of my plans were entirely upended. Having something work out, show me what's possible, and see how many people are willing to make it work for me has been so amazing at a time where I feel I have such little control.

Thank you so much to Kristy at Confluence for adapting this section for me 🩷

05/20/2026

Painting the roses red 🌹🥀❤️
📸.bessom
When I found out that I'd need emergent surgery, I had to take the first available appt because I'm already in the window of time where muscle cells die off for good. They can't be regained even if the nerve starts communicating to the muscles again.

Because of the 9 months of no nerve to muscle communication, my muscles atrophied and I developed metatarsal fractures from loading bone with no muscular support. If I can't build muscles in my foot, I can't dance.
While going through this grieving process, a lot of people have reassured me that I'll get creative and I'll find a way to be a dancer no matter what. While that's true, I knew that after this show, the way that I would approach dance moving forward would change. I knew it was possible this could be my last show, especially in ballet.
The earliest they could get me in for surgery was 3 weeks from when I found out. I was also at the beginning of 3 weeks of back to back shows, and had to be booted and extremely modified prior to the show. Luckily, I knew the choreography well, but it did mess me up mentally to not be able to properly practice the weeks leading up. All my muscles continued to decline so by the time I was jumping and on relevé for the show, I had lost even more and felt so wobbly. I hadn't been doing those things for weeks, and had just started jumping again as is.I couldn't even warm up in a way to get on my leg.
Anyways, I did this show on fractured metatarsals with atrophied muscles in my foot, and 0 communication from my tibial nerve. My foot has withered away to just bones and tendons, and you can even see it in some of the photos. Or I can, because I know what I'm comparing to, but hopefully it's not too late to get those muscles back.

I didn't know if I'd be able to do this show. I finished it out, and had nerve graft surgery 4 days later.

This was the first show with this school that I was actually able to do ballet, because I've been unable to do pointe. I'm so happy that I finally got to do ballet in a show, much more stage time, and even photos of me & my sister to remember it. It meant a lot to do this and I'm so grateful ❤️

05/19/2026

Modern from Toronto 🩷
1/3 showcase clips I got.
Wasn't going to post them, but honestly, they're mine and idk if I'm gonna dance again. I get so little footage of me dancing and I want to share it.

I know the quality is bad but my ig mostly exists as an archive for my nostalgia addiction anyways 😂

I did this whole 16hr intensive with atrophied muscles and severe nerve damage from a severed tibial nerve 🫠

05/18/2026

Dance Uprising Season end show: HOME

So glad I got to finish out some shows before my surgery 🩷

( dance company , modern dance , modern dance company , professional dancer , pro dance , pro modern dance , Michigan pro dance )

05/16/2026

This job just comes with a lot of admin okay 😭 doesn't help that as a dancer/artist, I'm prone to workaholic/perfectionist tendencies. I actually really want to rest but get stressed when things pile up that I know I have to deal with anyway!

I woke up from surgery from so many stressful emails. A reminder that nothing waits when you're the head of a program and there's no one who can do what you do.
Recital is coming up whether my leg is working or not 😂

( Aerial instructor dance instructor dance teacher recital prep recital season surgery recovery )

05/12/2026

Skincare Unboxing ✨
Loving these products and so excited to try the rest of their line!
I've been using the microneedling tool (the safest at home microstamping tool) for several months and will be sharing a progress video and before/after when I'm doing with this round.
Their products are specially formulated for acne-prone or scarred skin and are the perfect blend of natural & effective.

Also, if you'd like to see the pumpkin mask in action, I have a previous video trying it :)

Head to banish.com and use discount code
ASHLM

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01/06/2026

2025 Review in ✨Costumes✨

All of the costumes I wore in 2025 for shows 🩷
I feel like I may be forgetting something, and I wasn't able to get crystal clear footage of all of them, but I think they're all here!
Costumes are always so much fun to receive as a dancer, when the final piece of your character is coming together. They can also be a huge disappointment if you've got something extremely awkward, outside your comfort zone, or uncomfortable!

Luckily this year, I didn't have too many issues.
I'm short and the character corps dresses were long and heavy, so they ended up getting stuck everytime I moved 😅 but ultimately it was fine and the black/red color scheme is fitting for me I think.
For the Cirque Arts performance, we all had pearls on our mesh shirts, which were ending up on the floor in droves where we had to do dance, aerial, and acrobatic movement. So that was a little concerning, but luckily everyone was fine and nobody slipped on a pearl.
Also for my party parent costume, I typically hate that color and vibrant shades of pink (love baby pink, just not magenta or anything rich) but when it all came together, it was fun! Several adjustments were made because I'm short and was initially tripping on it as well 🫣

📸 Don Quixote & Nutcracker performance photos: .bessom

01/06/2026

No, I'LL be president.
I can't wait to get a video of this performance. This was our 2nd time performing it and we've gone merely off of feedback from others on how well the message is conveyed through our work. I do think the images do a pretty good job of that though.
pc: .dreaming

01/06/2026

What's something you wish you knew when you first started aerial/dance/etc?
What's something you wish there was more conversation about? Asking for anyone in the contemporary circus, pole, and dance world to hit me with all the topics.
I'm gearing a lot of my YouTube content towards helping people just starting out because that's the most crucial time, however it's definitely important for there to be resources for intermediate and advanced practitioners as well, so I'd like to hear from beginners and advanced artists alike. Comment or dm :)
pc: .dreaming

01/06/2026

pc: .dreaming
Love this shot from the show Saturday. Dance Uprising seeks to make impactful, identifiable statements and I think this routine says a lot. We simply identify the power struggle as it appears to us in our national and international hierarchies, but we embody U.S. presidential candidates to convey it.
I just uploaded my newest video, walking you through my personal routine for this show day, from morning to night. Link to my channel is in my bio.
Also checkout the incredibly talented photographer for both this event and also who took our company headshots, listed above.