Ashley Ayer Martin’s dream once took her to New York Center as a dancer with the Radio City Rockettes. Now a dance teacher for Owensboro Public Schools, Martin always encourages others to pursue their dreams — because she knows exactly what that takes.
Martin, who danced as part of the 75th-anniversary Christmas Spectacular starring the Rockettes in 2007, said she will never forget the many opportunities afforded to her as part of her journey — and they are still impacting her today.
Last week, that 2007 performance re-aired on NBC. The event gave Martin, who is also an Owensboro Dance Theatre alumna, a chance to join her former Rockettes on a Zoom call to relive the moments together.
“This is the first time in history the show had closed; I felt so blessed they reached out to me over Thanksgiving break about re-airing the show I was in from 2007,” Martin said.
Martin, who was a Rockette for 11 years starting in 1999, said she still keeps up with her friends from the show, using Zoom or FaceTime calls to check in with each other. They even flew back for a reunion together last November in New York.
“It had been 10 years since I had been back to see them and the Christmas Spectacular show,” Martin said. “What I love most about New York that I miss today is the memories I built there with friends that will remain with me forever.”
When the show aired on Wednesday night, many friends and family tuned in, including Martin’s teaching partner and friend Shauna Jones.
“My whole family watched the show together,” Jones said. “The boys loved it. They couldn’t believe Aunt Ashley was on television. I’ve seen her special on Netflix but watching her on NBC at the same time the rest of the U.S. was watching was really special. I am so proud of her and the legacy she is leaving with our students.”
Martin said the excitement was so great, she found it difficult to go to sleep that night, and the support of the community still fresh on her mind.
“Once the show started on live television, I got many phone calls and my phone wouldn’t stop dinging from all the texts and pictures and videos my friends and family were sending to me or posting on social media,” Martin said.
The allure of the big city is something Martin says she will always miss, but she feels blessed to give back to her OPS students, sharing her passion for dance and watching their faces light up each day.
“I felt so emotional but it was happy tears, getting to relive those wonderful memories I had with the Radio City Rockettes,” she said. “It was a dream come true and I’ll always hold a special place in my heart for this amazing professional career I had with them.”
