Jasmine Harper has danced with the stars. From Jennifer Lopez and Ciara to Usher and Ne-Yo, Harper has shared the stage with prominent artists, but her “I made it” moment came when she was asked to tour with Beyoncé. “She’s amazing — the ultimate professional,” said Harper, a Henrie tta native. “Seeing her give 125% every night drove us, not only when we were onstage, but in every other area of our lives.” Harper’s touring experience was complemented by music videos, including Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” and “Formation.” Years before dancing next to Beyoncé, Harper took classes at Little Red Dance Studio in Spencerport, often spending six hours a day there after school. That dedication led to her becoming a finalist on season 10 of “So You Think You Can Dance” in 2013, an experience she considers one of her favorites. “We were just dancers who loved to dance, and it was our first time imprinting what we do on the world,” she said. “I danced for audiences before, but cameras pick up every little thing.” Another “So You Think You Can Dance” alum, Webster’s Teddy Coffey, discovered a love for the camera while working in Los Angeles. With music video credits including Justin Timberlake and Meghan Trainor, Coffey knows how to establish a presence, even when filming on an empty set. In 2024, his phone blew up with messages after he was featured dancing alongside Ryan Gosling at the Oscars in the number “I’m Just Ken.” “I felt all the love from that performance,” he said. “That moment was really pivotal for me.” Left, Coffey with Ryan Gosling. Another highlight for Coffey was the FIFA World Cup halftime show with BTS, but his first love remains live performance. He dances regularly with Christina Aguilera and has performed with Sabrina Carpenter, Coldplay and the Backstreet Boys. The energy of an audience makes each show on tour a different experience. Like Harper, Coffey grew up studying at a competition dance studio, taking classes with his aunt, Cindy Post. Though he trained in contemporary and jazz, his heart was in hip-hop and tap. “I was lucky to have her as my role model and reference,” he said. “I wasn’t the most flexible dancer, but I always had a grasp on musicality. Cindy loves a groove and a pocket, and so do I.” Former Draper Center for Dance Education students Sarah Lane and Aesha Ash also have deep roots in Rochester. Though they have worked in film — Lane was Natalie Portman’s dance double in “Black Swan,” while Ash danced as Zoe Saldaña’s double in “Center Stage” — both prefer live performance. “It’s a gift that can’t be copied and pasted and stamped,” said Lane. “There are emotional and spiritual components to live dance that can’t be caught on camera.” Lane spent 18 years with American Ballet Theatre, the last three as a principal dancer. She credits the late Tim Draper and current artistic director Jamey Leverett with giving her the foundational training necessary for a career in ballet. “We moved from Memphis when I was 12, and I couldn’t believe there was a school like that in Rochester,” she said. “Tim and Jamey were so regimented about technique, and enforced an overarching idea of artistry being more important than anything.” Lane continues connecting dance with her community through Dance for Paws, a nonprofit that uses dance to raise funds for local animal organizations. Aesha Ash. PHOTO BY Paul Torreano For Ash, Draper was her introduction to the ballet world — a world that seemed determined to keep her out. Though she was warned that, as a woman of color, her journey as a professional ballet dancer would be challenging, Ash took the challenge head-on. She danced with New York City Ballet, Alonzo King LINES Ballet and Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company before becoming the School of American Ballet’s first full-time Black female faculty member in 2020. From a young age, Ash felt a desire to inspire others who might face hurdles on their path to following their passion. “I was part of the Urban-Suburban program in Rochester, and I saw this duality between suburban and city life,” she said. “I wanted to change the way people from the inner city were viewed.” That desire manifested in Ash’s work as an educator and in the Swan Dream Project, which uses imagery and ballet to encourage women of color to pursue their dreams. She hopes to one day expand the project to include something permanent in Rochester, such as a studio or an afterschool program. “I’m using ballet as a vehicle to show the world that individuals from communities like mine are more than just the stereotype we’re portrayed as,” Ash said. “I want to inspire young people. To show that if someone from their community can have a professional ballet career, what else can happen?”  Sydney Burrows is a Rochester-based dancer and writer focused on amplifying the stories of talented artists across the region. The post Moving pictures: meet four Rochester natives who dance onstage and onscreen appeared first on CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.. ...read more read less