Ashley Jackson has danced her way to a dream.

“When I was younger, I always wanted to travel around the world and see different cultures, and now I’m able to do that,” the 22-year-old professional dancer from High Point says.

“The dance company I’m in allows me to travel to other countries, so right now, I’m basically living my dream. I know a lot of people are not able to do that – to live their dreams – so I try not to take that for granted.”

Jackson, who performs with Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet in San Francisco, hasn’t taken much for granted since she first took up dance as a precocious 3-year-old. She’s always remained dedicated to her art, and now it’s paying dividends – and not just because it allows her to travel.

This week, for example, Jackson will be in Washington, D.C., to receive the 2009 Congressional Black Caucus Spouses Heineken USA Performing Arts Scholarship, which recognizes students who have demonstrated exemplary command of a performing art.

The $3,000 award and a medal will be presented to Jackson Wednesday evening, during a ceremony at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Jackson will apply the scholarship to her studies at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, Calif., where she’s working toward earning a degree in performing arts.

Jackson has been turning heads in other ways, too. Now in her fourth year with the Lines Ballet, she was recently featured in the August issue of Dance Magazine – one of the bibles of the dance world – in its “On the Rise” department.

“With beautifully tapered legs and flowing arms, Jackson is the youngest of LINES’ formidable women,” the magazine wrote. “Yet the spirited clarity of her classical training and the calm assurance she brings to even the fastest-paced and most complex of (Alonzo) King’s combinations have made her stand out.”

Jackson says she found the magazine article to be flattering but also motivating.

“It’s a really nice feeling to be recognized for all the hard work,” she says, “but it also makes me want to work harder, to strive to be even better. It makes me want to work harder to get to the next level.”

Jackson began dancing when she was 3, starting out under the tutelage of Debbie Riley at Dancers Headquarters in High Point. Then, around age 9 or 10, she joined instructor Susan Bodsford at Susan’s Dance Unlimited in Kernersville.

In sixth grade, she joined the preparatory dance program at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem; in eighth grade, she became a fulltime student there, graduating in 2005.

Upon graduating, Jackson began performing professionally, initially dancing with North Carolina Dance Theatre. Eventually, she auditioned for Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet, got the job, and feels she has found her niche for now – and fulfilled her dream of traveling the world. With LINES, Jackson has been to Italy, France, Austria, Holland, Germany and Greece, just to name a few of the places she has performed.

“It’s definitely not all vacation by any means,” she says. “A lot of hard work goes into being in this company. It’s very demanding, but it’s also very embracing in the sense of developing my artistry.”

Jackson feels blessed to be doing something she loves for a living.

“Dance is a passion for me,” she says. “Every time I hear music, I’m just inspired to dance to it. I’m blessed by God to do what I’ve been able to do.”