Biography
Aya is an independent dance artist working in the field of performance and movement exploration. She often teaches, performs and works as a choreographer with the different companies and communities.
Born in Japan, she began ballet training at an early age to fix her pigeon toes. She found her passion in dance and trained at Showa Music and Art College (Tokyo), she then relocated to the UK and continued her training at Rambert School and Chichester University’s postgraduate company mapdance. She recently returned to the university and completed her MA. As a performer she has worked with choreographers/companies such as Yael Flexer&Nic Sandiland, Rosemary Lee, Charlie Morrissey, Lila Dance, Kerry Nicholls, and Pete Shenton (New Art Club) and Gecko Theatre.
Aya enjoys creating work in both community and professional setting, often in collaboration with artists working in different mediums. She presented her work in the UK and abroad at locations including Tate Britain, Tate Modern, The Place, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Birmingham Hippodrome, Stoke Mandeville Stadium (Paralympics 2012 Torch relay ceremony), Greenroom Manchester (Decibel), Tokyo and Madrid.
Since 2009 Aya has been working as a Resident Artist for Anjali Dance Company in Oxfordshire, which works with dancers who have learning disabilities. She choreographed a number of pieces for the company as well as supporting the company as rehearsal director for guest choreographers/directors including Lea Anderson, Gary Clarke, Luca Silvestrini, John Wright, Peta Lily and Maresa von Stockert. Aya’s work for Anjali youth dance company (Young Anjali) have been regularly selected as a finalist of U.Dance National Showcase.
Aya has taught various ranges of classes in the UK and abroad include Independent Dance, Greenwich Dance, Oxford Collective Contemporary, Brighton Dance Networks, Naim Tel Aviv, American campus in Cairo, PRODA Stavanger in Norway and various universities.
In recent years Aya’s work has has been developed within the collaboration with the design and the architect of the site that accommodate the moving bodies or vice verse, finding the design and costumes that support the moving bodies to achieve the extra effect in the aesthetics.
aya kobayashi 