It takes a great dancer to know one.
Though Ashley Everett isn’t grooving along on Beyonce’s Renaissance Tour — marking the first time she hasn’t toured with the star in 17 years — the dancer, actress and lifestyle influencer is still keeping up with the star’s performances, including how Blue Ivy has been stealing the show.
“Oh my gosh, I’m like a proud auntie over here,” says Everett of seeing clips of 11-year-old Blue Ivy hitting the stage and sticking all the moves on her superstar mom’s international tour stops. “I was [basically] there when she was born.”
Months after Beyoncé gave birth to her eldest daughter, “We were in rehearsals, doing Revel right after she was born,” recalls Everett of the star’s 2012 concert residency in Atlantic City. “Blue was like two months old.”
Now seeing Blue Ivy come into her own on stage, it’s surreal for the dancer. “I watched her start walking,” says Everett. “I helped teach her some of the first dance moves she ever saw and learned, you know. I’m super proud; couldn’t be more proud.”
Everett is also seeing the growth in her stage presence. “I’m just watching her, even from the first show to now, she’s just flourishing already. I’m like ‘Oh, go Blue boo!’ She is ahead of all of us.”
Though Everett isn’t sure if she’ll be able catch a show and Blue Ivy cameo in-person, she’s happy to be rooting from the sidelines this time around, while working on a host of other projects.
“I’ve always wanted to dive into acting and I’ve recently signed with a new agency and am doing a lot of commercials and TV now. Also I love entrepreneurship, building my own brands and helping others in that. I’m developing my own mentorship program.”
Just like she did with Blue Ivy years ago, Everett’s excited to pass on what she’s gleaned from years in the spotlight. “I have some mentees that I work with one-on-one and I really enjoy that type of intimate development,” she says. “I want to open it up to even more people.”
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