Artist Bio

Natalie Montoya was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona where she learned to love dance at a young age from her mother, Julie Nichols. Natalie danced with Julie in Ballet Belles before going on to train at Ballet Rincon Academy of Dance for ten years. There, she trained primarily in ballet, jazz, and contemporary and performed many soloist and principal roles. Some of her favorites included Sugar Plum pas de deux in The Nutcracker, Wolf in Peter and the Wolf, and Kitri in Don Quixote. Natalie has also attended many summer intensive programs around the nation including State Street Ballet, University of Utah Ballet, Ballet 5:8 Chicago, and most recently Ballet West. She was also awarded scholarships to attend Long Beach Ballet, Ballet Hispanico Choreolab, and Joffrey Ballet summer programs. 

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Natalie is currently in her last year of the Ballet BFA program at the University of Utah School of Dance where she has learned from distinguished faculty and guest artists including Maggie Wright-Tesch (former Ballet West Principal), Pablo Piantino (former San Francisco Ballet company member), and Susan Jaffe (former American Ballet Theatre Principal). In addition to her love for performing, Natalie has recently discovered a love for teaching, choreographing, and dance photography. She currently teaches ballet at The Dance Company in Salt Lake City, and is excited to share her experience with the next generation of dancers.