Ashley Pi is a dancer from the tiny island of Barbados, who has gained international attention as one of the world’s most sought after male dancers. Ashley Pi was born in Barbados, where his parents are originally from Spain and Ireland. They came to Barbados when Pi was nine years old and began to learn ballet at the local Dordrein ballet school. At the age of sixteen he went to study dance at the Royal Ballet School of Barbados, and four years later he graduated with first and second degrees in both dance technique and philosophy.
In an interview, Ashley Pi spoke very highly of his personal experiences, which have led him to his success in the dance industry. Pi said that he started working out at a very early age of eighteen because it gave him a sense of purpose and he soon found what he wanted: to become a dancer. He added that he always wanted to be tall and slim, and as a result put on weight when he was young so that his physique would fit perfectly when he dances. After this he trained in aerobics, yoga, and synchronised breathing with his dancing. Later on he tried out for the British National Ballet School but was rejected by them because he was too short.
The rejection didn’t dampen his spirits and he went on to study further with the Royal Academy of Dance. While in there he learnt classical dance and modern choreography and was impressed by the style of dancers such as John Butler and Gordon Gekko. When he was twenty-one, he decided to enter the Caribbean National Ballet competition, but was eliminated in the first round of the competition. This didn’t deter Pi from performing with choreographers such as Gekko, John Butler, or Raymond Balanchine.