Aysha Upchurch is a native of St. Louis, MO where she tagged along with her older siblings and became involved in dance and athletics at an early age. She moved to Washington, DC to attend American University, where she earned a BA in International Studies and an MA in International Peace and Conflict Resolution. Initially, she turned to dance as an outlet from her studies, but the hobby eventually turned into a career. Aysha studied rhythm tap under Heidi Schultz and later joined a local tap company, DC ARTistry, from 2000-20003 under the direction of Artis Mooney. She has since had opportunities to train and work with Ayodele Caselle, Ted Levy, Robert Burden, Diane Walker, Will Gaines and Van “The Man” Porter. She was also a member of Jam Crew from 2001 to 2004, a Hip Hop dance company, directed by Vanessa Edwards. She has studied under legends and choreographers such as Rennie Harris, Jennifer Archibald, Greg Campbell Lock, Jr., Pop Master Fabel, Mr. Wiggles, Rhapsody and others. Aysha has been involved with local outreach dance programs through Joy of Motion Dance Center and City Dance Ensemble since 2003. Dance has given her opportunities to choreograph, teach and perform throughout the country in Philadelphia, New York, Texas and North Dakota, as well as internationally in the Caribbean and Eastern Europe. Most recently, she was one of the recipients awarded the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage Local Dance Commissioning Project for 2007. 

Outside of her life as a dancer, Aysha has worked professionally as an author, educator and children’s rights advocate and has also completed a full marathon. She seeks to use dance as a medium to tell stories and discuss issues. She is passionate about everything she does and encourages everyone to do what they love and have fun doing it.