Today we’d like to introduce you to Alison Stroming.
Hi Alison, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in Recife, Brazil and was adopted when I was eight months old and grew up in New Jersey. My brothers were professional tap dancers so dance was a huge part of the family! My mom took me to Lincoln Center when I was eight years old to see New York City Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” in which I was in awe of the prima ballerina and so I asked my mom if I could audition. She took me to audition for the School of American Ballet the following year when I was nine years old in which I was accepted and then began my formal ballet training. I continued my training at SAB for three years and then accepted a full scholarship at the prestigious American Ballet Theater where I then finished my ballet training.
After graduating high school (I graduated a year early to focus on my ballet training), I went on to dance with professional companies including Alberta Ballet, Ballet San Jose, and Dance Theatre of Harlem. As a professional ballerina, I have performed across the country and overseas in Spain, Lithuania, Guatemala, Tel Aviv, Poland, Budapest, and Italy. I also had the opportunity to perform with legend Aretha Franklin at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. I am also proud to have been featured in many media publications and campaigns for Tumi Luggage, Adidas, Under Armor, and American Eagle, which was featured on Time Squares billboards!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Absolutely not a smooth road and full of tons of ups and downs…but I wouldn’t have changed any part of my journey! The dance world can be very competitive and so I had a lot of personal struggles with my confidence as a young dancer. I think a lot of times, I was holding myself back and wasted time and energy comparing myself to my peers instead of just owning my craft and talent as a dancer.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a professional dancer and entrepreneur now living in Los Angeles. I moved out to LA from NY after taking a break from a ballet company and haven’t left! I am known for my work as a professional ballerina and am proud to have been featured in several national campaigns and publications.
In 2018, I launched my very first dancewear company, AS Dancewear, with focus on female empowerment. I currently mentor 26 young dancers across the US and Canada who represent my brand as “AS Mentees”. It is truly like a sisterhood and is my favorite part of what I do and why I started AS! Through my line and mentoring, I aspire to empower girls to embrace their true selves and never hold back from achieving their goals. It is important for all girls of all backgrounds to feel supported and confident. As a professional dancer myself and have been in these young dancers’ shoes, my mentees know they can come to me regarding anything and will always have my support.
My business has been featured in multiple publications, featured on HBO’s “Insecure”, and even featured in our first commercial for a major brand set to go live soon!
Who else deserves credit in your story?
Of course, I give all credit to my incredible family for always supporting myself and my dreams. My mom was always my biggest cheerleader and I wouldn’t be the young, ambitious woman that I am today if it weren’t for her. Another very influential person in my life is my mentor Misty Copeland. I first met Misty when I was a student at American Ballet Theatre (she was a dancer in the company and the company and school share the same building in NYC) and since our very first conversation at the water fountain she always had my back. I owe a lot of credit to her too for shaping the strong dancer I am today!
This summer I will also be presenting my very first summer dance intensive for dancers age 10-19 years old with my line, AS Dancewear! Dates will be June 25th-26th, 2022 in Miami and July 23rd-24th, 2022 in Los Angeles! To learn more and register, please check out www.asdancewear.com/intensive !
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.
asdancewear.com and https:// www.alisonstroming.com - Instagram: @alisonstroming @as.dancewear
- Facebook: @alisonstroming
- Youtube: @alisonstroming
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/
@alisonstroming
Image Credits
Collette Mruk, Romark Weiss, Franz Steiner, Kenny Palacios, Masha Goltsvard, AS Dancewear
