ASU dance graduate gains skills for success on and off the stage
From left: Chase Morgan, Ashley Koclanis and Maddie Lasco. Photo courtesy of Ashley Koclanis
Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable spring 2026 graduates.
Arizona State University student Ashley Koclanis has loved dance since she was 2 years old, when her parents signed her up for a class to make carpooling with a neighbor easier. The friend dropped out after two weeks, but Koclanis was hooked.
“I always knew I wanted to dance,” she said. “Being on stage was everything to me.”
This spring, Koclanis is graduating from the School of Music, Dance and Theatre in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts with a bachelor’s degree in dance.
Growing up in Mission Viejo, California, Koclanis studied dance at Laguna Dance Theatre, but she was ready to move out of Orange County after high school. When she visited the ASU Tempe campus, she knew it was the place for her.
“I got on campus, and I felt so comfortable,” Koclanis said. “I thought, ‘This feels right.’”
Koclanis entered ASU as a strong technical dancer, but she feels her time in the dance program helped her establish an artistic voice and develop valuable production skills.
“I didn’t find my style until I got here,” she said. “I didn’t understand how my body wanted to move. That all changed in David Olarte’s Creative Practice class. I got here and found the confidence I needed to be myself, fully.”
During her time at ASU, Koclanis auditioned for every guest artist residency, created choreography for multiple showcases, and learned various aspects of design and production. She has performed, choreographed and designed lighting for Spring Dance Fest, Untangled Roots, Tiny Dances and Breaking Ground Contemporary Dance Festival.
“I knew I had to throw myself into so many things,” Koclanis said. “If I want to run my own company, I should be able to do it on my own. This school has given me so much confidence. … I know that I can put on my own show because I have the knowledge, because I got such a broad range of experiences.”
She put all of her experience into her senior capstone project, which paid homage to her childhood dance studio teacher and mentor, Shery Gilbert. The piece used George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” as the musical backdrop of a West Side Story-esque dance off between a stage full of ballet dancers and contemporary dancers, complete with rivalry romance, a pas de deux on pointe and plenty of humor. In addition to doing the choreography, lighting design and sound editing for her own piece, she also did the lighting design for multiple pieces and performed in another student’s work.
“I've had so many opportunities to show my work, and so now I have such a big portfolio,” she said. “I feel fully prepared to just throw my portfolio out there now. Getting to have that opportunity before you go into the real world — I'm so grateful for that.”
Koclanis said it was a full-circle moment as she honored her ballet background and her newfound confidence in contemporary movement. It was the closing piece of the Transitions dance concert and was received with a standing ovation by the audience.
“When Ashley came to me with the idea for this project, I thought it was pretty ambitious,” Olarte said. “But she had the confidence, and I knew she was capable of pulling it off. I was thrilled to see it all come together.”
While most students would be content with accomplishing that much during four years, Koclanis is still at work. She’s presenting another work, “Hysteria,” at Spring Dance Fest. And she’s still just as obsessed with the stage as she was at age 2, b But thanks to ASU, now she’s comfortable on both sides of the curtain.
“For me, the arts are home,” Koclanis said. “I really cannot explain it more than that. It is the place that I have always felt I’m able to be myself, and … it makes me feel fulfilled. For me, it means confidence and home and comfort.”
Question: Which professor taught you the most important lesson while at ASU?
Answer: David Olarte had the biggest impact on me, because that first class immediately made me feel ready to take risks and figure out who I was because it was such a safe space. Freshman year was really hard. I went from living in my house my whole life and being around the same people to a big shift — different state, whole new world. That was crazy, and he was always there for me. That was really, really helpful in feeling like I was in the right place and feeling like I was doing what I was supposed to be doing.
The other faculty member that really helped me was Cari Koch. When I started doing lighting, I realized, “Oh, this is cool. I really like this.” She gave me a lot of confidence and made sure I had the resources that I needed. She gave me great advice when I needed it and made sure I was on the right path and looking at all my options. Now I might be going to American Dance Festival to do an internship for production.
Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to those still in school?
A: My biggest advice is 1) Audition. Whether that’s for other people’s pieces or making choreography and watching other people dance. That really is the fun, bonding part of this school that I loved — being in people’s work. You get to work with everyone, from freshmen to grad students. There’s so much crossover, and that’s beautiful. And 2) Get involved in any way possible. If they say they need extra help backstage, do it.
Q: What was your favorite spot on campus?
A: My favorite spot that isn’t dance related is definitely the pyramid outside of Nelson Fine Arts Center. My freshman year, I would take the trolley over there and I’d eat my food at the top of it and sunbathe up there. I felt like a lizard on a rock. I don’t know what it is about that spot, but it’s so healing. Underneath is the ASU Art Museum. It’s just a very calm spot to be.
Studio-wise, it’s Margaret Gisolo Dance Theatre. I practically live there now! I go there anytime I get the chance because there's the lighting board in there, so I'll go throw some lights up for fun. I'll improv in there; I'll choreograph in there. At this point, it’s my second home. And I know for a fact that if I come back and visit, that is the first place I'm going.
Q: What are your plans after graduation?
A: I have a few things lined up. I got an offer to create the curriculum for a kids' after school program with a dance program segment. An American Dance Festival internship is on the table. I do plan to go teach at my studio back home. The goal eventually is moving back to California, close to Los Angeles and close to where I grew up. The hope is to find places to choreograph for studios and companies. I’d love to do residencies at colleges. I love working in short periods of time. The very far ahead dream is to own my own company, and to travel and tour and perform.
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Ashley Koclanis' favorite spot on campus ("that isn’t dance related") is the pyramid outside of Nelson Fine Arts Center.
Courtesy photo
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Her favorite dance-related spot? Margaret Gisolo Dance Theatre. "I practically live there now," she said.
Courtesy photo
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