ASHLEY DELANE BURGER

"Ashley makes complex material understandable and applicable. Her classes mesh excitement with challenge in an epic way. Over the four years and six classes I spent with Ashley I was pushed out of my comfort zone in ways I had never been pushed before. She helped me to understand my body/mind connection, to find confidence in all of my creative pursuits, and to take risks whenever possible. Of all the classes I took with Ashley, her Movement II course was my favorite. Ashley managed to communicate Laban in a fun and understandable way and allowed us to apply these movement principles with exercises, scene work, and our own choreographed presentations. I still find myself going back to the methods we covered when preparing material for auditions, shows, etc. Ashley allowed me to see the power of physical expression through movement and dance and I am eternally grateful."

- Gabrielle Baker, Wagner College 19' (Ballet I & II, Movement for the Actor I & II, Stretch & Fitness, Musical Theatre                                                                       Styles)

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I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from Ashley. She formats her curriculum so students have a full tool belt after leaving her class. She works to make sure that every student fully understands the information being taught. Ashley is able to connect with her students and you can really tell that she truly cares about each one's success. She takes the time to learn about each student as an individual, their personal strengths, weaknesses and learning styles, and I believe this is why her students are so successful in her classes.

Beyond being a teacher, Ashley is a well regarded professional in the industry. I have had the privilege to work with her in an audition and performance setting. Just like her teaching, she wants each and every person to succeed. She comes into everything she does prepared. You can see that every movement has a purpose; why something is on the “and” count and not the down beat. Being a Certified Laban Movement Analyst really aids her in teaching of the movement. She is able to break down the movements into basic body actions that EVERYONE can understand. Ashley has such a clear and in depth understanding of the body and how it moves and it has transferred to me. I love being able to make a BESS chart for a character and/or inspire movements from people I see on the streets; I’m able to identify movement qualities by using my understanding of Laban that was gained from her class.

- Maddie Kendall, Wagner College 20' (Anatomy and Kinesiology for the Dancer & Movement for the Actor)

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"Working with Ashley means being enveloped in the brightest, most encouraging environment possible. Ashley can lead a mixed group of ‘dancer-dancers,’ strong movers, and 'actor-firsts' and leave everyone shocked at how much they can learn from her. Her teaching style is very high energy. Over the years, I have taken bits of Ashley with me to every movement project I’ve had; she’s helped me craft several warm-ups, cool-downs, character study exercises, and self-care exercises that keep my body and mind in tune with one another. Ashley Burger is the person you want leading you for a positively radiant rehearsal or classroom.
- Gino Cardoni, Wagner College 20' (Ballet I, Movement for the Actor,  Musical Theatre Dance, Stretch & Fitness.

                                                               Productions: Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Working, Sunset Boulevard.)

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"You will have FUN in Ashley's class. As growing performers we constantly judge ourselves and forget to experience the pure joy in doing what we love. It's reassuring to have a teacher that doesn't mind teaching that over and over again everyday! She embodies each style of dance in an analytical way, yet can still communicate it to any student on a personalized level. She is a smart and gifted choreographer. I've taken her Musical Theatre Styles for two straight semesters and still chat about the combos we learned the first semester, first month!"

- Nina Gross ,Wagner College 17' (Musical Theatre Styles)
 

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"As a student who came into college with little to no dance training, my time in Ashley Burger’s Musical Theatre Styles class can best be summarized as a masterclass in learning choreography efficiently and safely all while bringing yourself to your work. In the city, this is such an important skill to have and I know that Ashley’s class has taken my abilities to new and tremendously useful heights. In addition to increasing my proficiency in learning choreography, I was also exposed to a great deal of choreography that will be presented in most audition scenarios and I left the class feeling confident walking into Manhattan dance calls."

- Nick Barakos ,Wagner College 17' (Musical Theatre Styles. Production: Merrily We Roll Along)

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"Ashley Burger is a wonderful teacher. Her understanding of movement concepts and the human body is absolutely fascinating. I have studied with her for two years now, and each class is a chance to better myself as a performer and student. Ashley's constant support creates an environment that encourages students to take risks and make bold choices. She has valuable insight from her own career as a performer and brings it into the classroom which is always eye opening. Any opportunity to work with Ashley is a positive, joyful, and productive experience."

- Brianna Brice, Wagner College 18' (Ballet, Movement I & Musical Theater Styles. Production: Bloody Bloody Andrew                                                                Jackson)

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"I have had the honor of working with Ashley as both a teacher and a choreographer. In each, she proves to be outstanding and approaches her work with passion, excitement and joy. Above all, the most important thing Ashley has taught me is to see my worth as a performer.

As a ballet teacher, Ashley utilizes her unique knowledge of anatomy and kinesiology to help students understand the mechanics of each movement. She also creates a welcoming, supportive and fun environment which is especially helpful for beginner students who view ballet as boring or intimidating. 

As a jazz teacher, Ashley has helped me discover my voice as a dancer. She has helped me find a balance between character and technique in my dancing. Her choreography skills help bring her jazz classes to another level. She transitions flawlessly between styles which allows her to teach every style encompassed in the term “jazz”. Her combinations always serve a purpose, such as expressing something painful or being comfortable expressing sexuality in dancing. Additionally, her experience with competition dance enables her to teach impressive tricks that are vital to dancers today. 

As a movement teacher, Ashley helped me learn so much about myself both as a person and an actor. Ashley’s creative personality allows her to create vivid analogies to explain Laban. She makes the class a fun place to discover your own body and how to move as naturally and uninhibited as possible. Movement with Ashley was by far one of the most eye-opening classes of my college career so far. I became aware of my own movement baseline through exploration exercises that dug deep into my soul and others that were simply fun. Now that I am aware of my baseline, I am able to change it and create other characters.

As a choreographer, Ashley is truly astonishing. The way she captures feelings and experiences  in movement never ceases to take my breath away. It is always a great challenge to both perform and choreograph stand alone pieces, but Ashley takes on the challenge with excitement. In my first choreographic experience with Ashley, we chose an emotional and almost completely acapella piece of music. She created movement that showcased my best qualities but also completely told the story of the piece. Most recently, I asked Ashley to create a piece that reflected my relationship with my own self image. Since Ashley already knew my strengths and preferences as a dancer, we started the process by filming both of us improving to the piece of music which was truly magical because it provided inspiration that was a collaboration. The piece eventually told a story that we solidified together. Ashley could not possibly have captured me or the music better. Ashley’s choreography makes my work as a dancer easy because the movement alone evokes the exact feeling and expression necessary from me."

- Michelle Morris, Wagner College 19' (Ballet TA, Movement I, Jazz IV & Musical Theater Styles)

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"I had the pleasure of hiring Ashley Delane Burger for an immersive LMA workshop. This workshop was offered to not only company members but actors in NYC looking to better themselves by getting to know the inner workings of their functioning actor vessels. Ashley was tasked with cultivating a workshop that challenged actors of all levels, ages, and abilities and she exceeded all expectations. In a few hours Ashley was able to lay a foundation of LMA and Barteneiff vocabulary that was easily applicable and fun to understand. Her depth of knowledge and her ability to connect concepts to everyday situations makes her an invaluable teacher and practitioner. She was beloved in the workshop and in high demand afterwards by all participants. Her enthusiasm and passion for LMA is contagious and I have for a fact become a better and more aware actor because of her tools she has implemented through this workshop."

- Samantha Desimone, UME Theatre Group Community Coordinator