Natalie Ayton
Associate Lecturer
Natalie is a choreographer, dramaturg, movement director and dance educator whose practice is rooted in three decades of international performance and creative collaboration. A graduate of Rambert and London Contemporary Dance School, she has worked across leading contemporary dance, theatre and commercial platforms. Her performance credits include the lead role of The Girlfriend in Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake, work with Candoco Dance Company in pieces by Arthur Pita and Rafael Bonachela, Random Dance's Digit01 schools tour, and Kylie Minogue's Fever tour. She also spent five years with Gecko Theatre Company, devising and collaborating on five productions, including The Race and The Overcoat, touring both works internationally.
Her creative practice spans choreography, dramaturgy, movement direction and lighting design, with a particular interest in the relationship between movement, theatrical language, visual composition and narrative. Working across dance, theatre, opera, film and interdisciplinary performance, Natalie brings a highly embodied and dramaturgical approach to the creation of work, shaping movement that is both physically dynamic and theatrically resonant.
Alongside her creative work, Natalie has developed an extensive international teaching practice in contemporary dance, physical theatre and musical theatre. Her work has taken her across the UK, Europe and Australia, including five years with Sydney Dance Company, where she taught on the Pre-Professional Year programme and worked as a touring workshop leader.
Her experience as an international touring artist informs a practice grounded in physical intelligence, performance presence and a deep understanding of the demands of professional performance. Natalie works collaboratively with artists and performers to develop work that is rigorous, imaginative, visually compelling and emotionally alive, nurturing technical precision alongside creative freedom, individuality and expressive depth.
