Check Out AuDrya Kelly’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to AuDrya Kelly.

AuDrya, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Since I was a little girl, I’ve always known exactly who I wanted to be—a star in every way. An artist, dancer, actress, singer, songwriter, director, choreographer, producer… all of it. Coming from a multi-talented family, my dreams were always encouraged and supported, so there was never really a moment where I thought I had to choose just one thing.
At the age of three, I booked my first job in the movie Coach Carter as a principal character. All the while, I was dancing anywhere and everywhere I could. My mom used to work as a hairstylist at K Salon on the first floor of the Crenshaw Mall, and the entire front of the salon was this huge glass window. I would stand in front of that window with my CD player and headphones, making up dances all day long. Then I’d have my mom introduce me inside the salon so I could perform whatever I had worked on that day. That was my stage before I even really knew what having a stage meant.
Then one day, Debbie Allen came to the mall and had a performance in the food court because her dance academy was changing locations. My mom was doing a client’s hair, but another client offered to take me downstairs to watch. At the end of the performance, they called kids from the audience up to the stage. Of course, I went.
Right before I danced, I looked out and saw my mom standing in the crowd. I danced, and everybody screamed and went crazy. Afterward, Ms. Allen spoke with my mom and offered me a full scholarship to her hip-hop intensive. That moment changed the trajectory of my life.
From there, I began seriously training at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy and became part of a special program at the school called the Red Birds. From ages 8 to 17, I trained in every style I could while continuing to act and perform outside of dance. I did plays, booked my first music video with Mariah Carey, performed in countless shows through the academy, and studied theater throughout high school.
I competed in theater competitions and placed, became a regional finalist in the August Wilson Monologue Competition, and eventually began dancing for the LA Sparks.
After graduating high school, I stepped fully into the professional entertainment industry, performing on tours, award shows, music videos, and stages around the world. I spent years working alongside incredible artists and learning what it takes to bring major creative visions to life.
Those experiences gave me an incredible foundation, but over time I realized I didn’t want my story to stop at being a dancer behind other artists. As grateful as I am for every stage I’ve touched and every artist I’ve worked with, I’ve always known there was more in me. Today, I’m stepping into myself more fully—not just as a dancer, but as an actress, choreographer, singer, songwriter, director, and creative. I’m building a career that allows all of those parts of me to exist at once.
I think that’s what makes this chapter of my life so exciting. I spent so many years training, performing, learning, and helping bring other people’s visions to life, and now I’m taking everything I’ve learned and pouring it into my own voice and vision. In a way, I’m still that little girl dancing in front of the glass window at the Crenshaw Mall. The difference is, now I understand that I’m not waiting for someone to give me a stage. I”m creating my own.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Smooth? Not at all. There have been so many hardships along the way, but also so many signs that I’m fulfilling my purpose and that I’m right where God wants me to be.

Growing up with a single mother, paying for dance alone was a struggle in itself. There were times we had to ride the bus, and from a young age I learned what it meant to hustle. I was a vendor on the corner of Crenshaw & Adams, selling T-shirts, gift baskets, and different things around the holidays. I made flower pens and sold them in my mom’s salon. I swept floors, gave massages, did nails whatever I could do to make a little money.

I was also always on scholarship for dance, which meant I had to put in hours by assisting teachers with the younger students. At the time, I was doing what I needed to do to continue my training, but looking back, even that struggle gave me something. It’s where I learned how to teach, how to work with children, and how to be responsible at a very young age.

Middle school brought a different kind of challenge. I remember being bullied because I didn’t always have name-brand shoes or clothes. I had nice things, but sometimes it was giving Airwalks instead of Chucks, if you know what I mean. And honestly, I never really cared until other people made me feel like I should. In my mind, dance and my career were ten times more important than a shoe.

By the time I got to high school, my experience was completely different. I attended a performing arts high school where self-expression and artistry were encouraged and celebrated. That was such a beautiful and refreshing experience for me because I could finally be myself unapologetically, 100 percent. I experimented with different colored lipsticks, crazy shoes, outfit ideas, whatever felt like me, because I was in an environment where I felt safe and supported. Looking back, that taught me so much about how deeply a child’s environment and the people surrounding them can shape their confidence and development.

Then, of course, there were the no’s. In this industry, rejection is inevitable. I remember being fresh out of high school, auditioning constantly, wanting so badly to travel the world and live out everything I had worked toward. I would get so close to booking certain jobs just to hear “no.” After a while, it got to me. I reached a point where I remember thinking, “What am I even doing?”

My mother, as she has always done, became a light for me. She poured into me, encouraged me, and reminded me of who I was when I was starting to forget. So I got back to it. I locked in.

Not long after that, at 18, I booked my first touring job with the Jonas Brothers. I got to travel and do the very thing I had been dreaming about, and from there, things really started moving.

That moment, along with so many others throughout my career, has been a testament and a reminder that this is where I belong. The arts are my purpose. I’ve learned that struggle doesn’t always mean you’re on the wrong path, and a “no” doesn’t necessarily mean stop. Sometimes it’s simply redirection. Every obstacle has given me something I’ve been able to carry into the next chapter, and somehow, I keep finding myself exactly where I’m supposed to be.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a multidisciplinary artist. I’m a professional dancer and choreographer, actress, singer, songwriter, and an aspiring director. For a long time, people have primarily known me through dance, but I’ve never seen myself as just a dancer. I’ve always been a storyteller, and movement was simply the first language I became fluent in.

Professionally, I’ve had the opportunity to dance and perform alongside artists like The Weeknd, Teyana Taylor, The Jonas Brothers, Karol G, Migos, Mariah Carey, DJ Mustard, Meghan Trainor, and others. As a choreographer, I’ve created work for legends such as Diana Ross and Chaka Khan, choreographed Beyoncé’s Cécred Styling Collection launch, and served as the official choreographer for Disney’s The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. I’ve done tours, award shows, music videos, live performances, and worked in spaces that I used to dream about being in as a little girl. As a choreographer and teacher, I’ve also been able to take everything I’ve learned throughout my career and pour it into other dancers and artists.

But I think what I specialize in more than anything is performance and storytelling. Whether I’m dancing, acting, choreographing, singing, or eventually sitting behind the camera directing, I care about making people feel something. I love work that has layers, intention, character, and a point of view. I’m not interested in just looking good on camera or hitting choreography perfectly. I want you to believe me. I want you to feel whatever story I’m telling.

What I’m most proud of is that I’ve continued to evolve. It would have been easy to become comfortable being known solely as a professional dancer, especially after reaching milestones I once dreamed about. But I know there are other parts of me that deserve to be explored. I’m in a season now where I’m stepping forward more intentionally as an actress, recording artist, choreographer, creative, and future director, while building a name and body of work that belongs to me.

I think what sets me apart is that I genuinely don’t fit neatly into one box, and I no longer feel the need to. Everything I’ve experienced feeds the next thing. Dance has taught me discipline, musicality, body language, and how to command a stage. Acting has pushed me deeper into character and emotional truth. Music gives me another way to tell my own stories. Choreography allows me to create worlds through movement, and directing is where I see all of those pieces eventually meeting.

I also come from South Central Los Angeles, and I carry where I come from with me. There’s a certain resourcefulness, hunger, creativity, and ability to make something out of what you have that was instilled in me very early. I’m proud that the little girl dancing in front of the window at the Crenshaw Mall grew up to perform on stages around the world, but I’m even more proud that she still wants more for herself.

Ultimately, I don’t want to be remembered as someone who could just do a lot of things. I want to be known as an artist with a distinct voice, someone whose work feels honest, powerful, entertaining, and unmistakably her own. I’m building toward a career where I can create in front of the camera, behind it, onstage, and through my own music and movement. For me, they’re not separate dreams. They’re all pieces of the same artist.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
There have honestly been a few. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that relationships are everything. You have to nourish them, maintain them, and continue to build them. I believe in treating everyone with kindness and respect, first and foremost because everyone deserves that, but also because you truly never know who you’re talking to or who knows who, especially in this industry and especially in LA. Your character will always speak for you in rooms you aren’t in.

Another major lesson has been the importance of being mindful about who you keep in your inner circle. This industry can be beautiful and rewarding, but it can also be extremely tough and, at times, have no mercy. Having people around you who you genuinely trust, who love you, support you, tell you the truth, and have your back is everything.

My mom is the definition of a “Momager,” and between her, my uncle, my dad, some incredible mentors, and a few close friends, I feel protected, supported, and covered. I don’t take that for granted. Having a village that reminds you who you are when things are going amazingly, but especially when they aren’t, is sacred.

I’ve learned that you can have all the talent in the world, but how you treat people, the relationships you build, and the people you allow close to you can shape so much of your journey. Protect your name, protect your character, and protect your circle.

Contact Info:

• Website: dryababyy@yahoo.com
• Instagram: audryakelly
• Facebook: audryakelly
• Twitter: audryakelly
• Youtube: audryakelly

Image Credits
Perla Diaz