Natalie Hardy is an Australian dance artist currently based in Naarm (Melbourne), specialising in contemporary dance and acrobatic practices. Born and raised in Canberra, ACT (Ngunnawal country), Natalie initially trained and competed at a national level in artistic gymnastics at Canberra City Gymnastics before moving on to contemporary dance at QL2 Dance in 2022. During their time at QL2 Dance, Natalie performed works by Melanie Lane, Ruth Osborne, and Lilah and Steve Gow (Synergy Styles) where they became immersed in the artistic expression, collaboration, and physicality of contemporary dance. From 2023-2025, Natalie trained at the VCA in the Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dance) degree at the University of Melbourne where they were awarded the 2024 Cutler Prize scholarship for excellence. Also in 2024, Natalie toured and performed VCA repertoire choreography by Nicole Corea and Anna Smith to Indonesia. Natalie then undertook creation projects in the 2025 VCA Dance Company with Phillip Adams, Jill Crovisier, and Melanie Lane, where Natalie performed “FOUNTAIN” in Melbourne’s 2025 RISING Festival. Natalie was also involved in the 2025 Yellow Wheel Company, performing works choreographed by Kyall Shanks and Jacqui Maida, where they then experienced a week-long secondment with Tasdance during the 2025 “Influencer” performance season in Hobart/Nipaluna, working closely with Adam Wheeler and Kyall Shanks. In their final year of study, Natalie was selected for an internship with Chunky Move, led by Antony Hamilton, and is keen to further explore the contemporary dance sector using these experiences.