Exclusive: Beyoncé's Former Dance Captain Recalls Sweet Moments Babysitting Blue Ivy

For nearly 13 years, Beyoncé had a constant companion on her global tours: Ashley Everett. A dancer from California, Ashley was selected at the age of 17 by Beyoncé’s choreographer Frank Gatson, Jr., to join the prestigious Beyoncé Experience Tour. This decision led her to leave the renowned Juilliard School and pursue a career that would take her around the world.

Ashley quickly became more than just a performer. After two years of working under Frank and Beyoncé, she was appointed as dance captain for the superstar. Over the next decade, she witnessed Beyoncé's journey through both triumphs and challenges, including the 2012 birth of her daughter, Blue Ivy, with husband Jay-Z. Ashley even played a role in teaching Blue to dance, marking a full-circle moment in their lives.

"I feel proud because she used to come in and ask: 'Where are the girls?' She wanted to hang out with the girl dancers, and we would teach her things like ballet," Ashley shared with HELLO!.

Even as a toddler, Blue was drawn to the stage. Ashley recalled how Beyoncé would often tell her, "Girl, go get out of here, go with the dancers," and the group would have fun together backstage.

That early curiosity eventually blossomed into a groundbreaking career. Blue’s cries were featured on her father Jay-Z’s 2012 track "Glory," which earned her a Guinness World Record for being the youngest person to have an entry on a Billboard chart. At the age of seven, she won the Best Music Video at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards alongside her mother Beyoncé, Wizkid, and Saint Jhn for the song "Brown Skin Girl." This made her the youngest individually credited Grammy Award recipient ever.

In 2023, Blue began performing on stage with her mother during the Renaissance tour. Now 13, she is a full-time dancer for the Cowboy Carter Tour, which ran from April to July 2025. In 2024, she also made her film debut in Mufasa: The Lion King, as a voice actress portraying Princess Kiara.

"I'm so proud to see her growth and progress, and not surprised to see her fall in love with the craft," Ashley said. "She's always loved it from day one."

Ashley was speaking on the red carpet for the American Ballet Theatre's Holiday Benefit in Los Angeles. As a trained dancer, she incorporated a lot of ballet techniques with Beyoncé. Ashley believes that ballet teaches dancers essential skills that are valuable regardless of where they end up in the dance industry.

"Beyoncé is such a sponge, so being in a room with a superstar who's a sponge and not afraid to be a student to everyone is so inspiring," said Ashley. "It made me a student for life."

This trait has also been passed on to Blue. During the 2023 Renaissance tour, criticisms of her performance motivated her to train harder and not give up. In the 2023 concert film, Beyoncé revealed to the cameras that the then-11-year-old was affected by online critiques but remained determined to prove naysayers wrong. Jay-Z also admitted that he gets "goosebumps" when he watches his eldest daughter walk out on stage.

"She’s been born into a life she didn’t ask for," he told CBS Mornings. "So since she was born, she’s been in scrutiny, and the public eye, and everyone having an opinion of even how [a little girl] keeps her hair. So for her to be on that stage and reclaim her power, and the song is called 'My Power,' you can’t write a better script."