Citymoves Core Staff

Hayley Durward, CEO

Hayley trained as a dancer at Laban before lecturing at the Arts Educational School London in contemporary technique for five years, becoming the founder and Artistic Director of their touring company. She taught freelance for many Scottish-based companies, including Scottish Ballet, Scottish Dance Theatre, the Scottish School of Contemporary Dance and SPK. Hayley held the position of Dance Development Manager at Citymoves for 10 years before becoming CEO in 2021.

Hayley has held numerous support positions, including - Chair of the board of trustees for Shaper/Caper, a member of the advisory board for the Scottish School of Contemporary Dance and currently Co-Chair of Culture Aberdeen.

Email: hayley.durward@citymoves.org.uk

Michelle Soto open mouth smiling, holding DanceLive programmes in a fan shape. In background, DanceLive flag and Citymoves 35 year timeline.

Michelle Soto MS MLitt, Marketing Executive

Michelle has worked in Scotland and Abroad for several performing arts organisations and performance types, including Shakespeare, Circus, Devised Theatre, Musical Theatre and Large Scale Arena Style Performances. Her personal dance background lies in the 6 years she spent as a cheerleader at school and the many theatrical dance classes and routines that come from working in the Musical Theatre World. These days, she participates in dance through Dance Fitness Classes and attends performances around Aberdeen. Her academic credentials include a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre: Direction and Management (HONS), a Master of Science in Arts Administration and Leadership from Drexel University, and a Master of Letters in Ethnology and Folklore from the University of Aberdeen.

Email: michelle.soto@citymoves.org.uk

Lynn Shaw, Dance Development Manager

Lynn has a passion for working in the field of dance for health and wellbeing. Having trained as a dancer in Scotland in 2004 she then completed her MEd in Learning and Teaching in performing arts at The Royal Conservatoire specialising in Dance for Mental Health. Lynn’s relationship with Citymoves dates back to 2008 when she worked as a freelance dance studio and outreach tutor. During that time, she led Fusion Youth Dance Company, inclusive dance classes and collaborated in projects with professional dance artists and organisations. Having trained as a Trauma Informed Creative Practitioner Lynn has worked with young people in rural communities and regeneration areas in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire using a variety of different art forms to engage with creativity including theatre, dance and creative play therapies. Lynn recently completed her holistic counsellor training which has given her a greater insight into working with people as a whole and understands not only the positive physical impacts of engaging with dance, but also the importance of how it has the potential to stimulate our mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.

Email: lynn.shaw@citymoves.org.uk

Megan Joyce, Dance Development Manager

Megan has come full circle back to Citymoves after starting her time here over 10 years ago when she first joined Fusion Youth Dance Company at 14 years old! She stayed with the youth company for four years, where she assured her love for dance, taking on some assisting and lead tutoring with Citymoves throughout this time. Then, at 18, she left to train at Dance For All, in Edinburgh where she gained and HND in Professional Dance Performance along with Level 4 Diploma in Dance Education in Modern Theatre Dance, ISTD Modern Advanced 2, RAD Ballet Advanced 1 and SDS Spanish Tercer Año. After her training and exams, she performed in shows, taught classes, and created her own choreography works throughout Scotland.

A sudden move saw her back to Aberdeen, where the position of Dance Development Coordinator was open and was naturally right for Megan to apply for! Luckily, she was given this role and was so pleased to be back in the place that built the foundations for Megan's career. Now as Dance Development Manager she hopes to learn even more. Being part of the team and organisation is a huge privilege to her, which she really does love!

Email: megan.joyce@citymoves.org.uk

Lauren Smith, Dance Development Coordinator

Laren is a dance artist originally from Nairn. From an early age she was always drawn to dance. Through Eden Court, she completed higher dance in 2017. This cemented her wish to study dance at a professional level. Lauren started training at Dance Studio Scotland, Glasgow, where she gained foundations in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Street and explored Contemporary in depth. She continued her studies to a degree level at The Scottish School of Contemporary Dance, Dundee, and gained her first-class degree in Bachelor of Arts Professional Dance Practice.

Lauren completed her placement at Citymoves for her final year of study and enjoyed her placement so much she applied for Dance Artist Internship in 2023. In 2024 Lauren has taken on Dance Development Coordinator to learn new skills and be part of the Citymoves family, she feels very grateful to be given this opportunity. Lauren also teaches and assists in some classes throughout our timetable.

Email: lauren.smith@citymoves.org.uk

Shelia Harkes closed mouth smiling outside of Anatomy Rooms studio.

Sheila Harkes, Finance Coordinator

Sheila started her career as a Quality Controller for J&J Crombie, a woollen mill that produced the famous Crombie Coats alongside other high-quality woollen garments. After taking a career break to focus on raising her three children, Sheila studied Accountancy before embarking on a career in finance that stretched over 30 years. Initially starting off working for the NHS as a Management Accountant, she found herself down the line as Finance Manager for a large Norwegian oil services company travelling for work in Paris, Copenhagen, England and Orkney.

Sheila took early retirement in 2015, but by 2019 was itching to get involved with something else. With no interest in going back into the corporate world she came across Citymoves by sheer luck. Now, she loves her job, stating it's so different from her past career – a part of something that enriches the local community and people's lives.

Email : sheila.harkes@citymoves.org.uk

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Cara Montgomery, Project Strive Coordinator

Cara is an Aberdeen local who is currently studying Events Management at Robert Gordon University. Cara thoroughly enjoys travelling and has loved meeting new people through working at Citymoves. After joining the team in summer 2023 as a Studio Assistant for evening classes, she has since had the opportunity to work several of Citymoves inspiring programmes, including Dance for Dementia, Horizons, Step Forward, and Strive.

Her enjoyment in community engagement during Project Strive led her to apply for the role of Strive Project Coordinator. She now works across three of the five Strive hubs and is dedicated to expanding participation and growing the program. This role has allowed Cara to combine her academic studies with real-world experience. She is excited to continue developing her management skills while supporting accessible dance opportunities across Aberdeen.

Email : Cara.montgomery@citymoves.org.uk