Natalia López Fonseca

Natalia hails from Aguascalientes in Mexico. She began studying a varied arts program at the young age of 8 and soon realized it was ballet which attracted her. After studying at a formal ballet program until turning 15, she interned for a year with Mexican-based CODA Dance Company. She then moved to Portugal to study for three years at the Ballet Conservatoire of Annarella Sanchez situated in Leiria.

With an acceptance into Junior Ballet Antwerp during the Summer of 2025, her reason for wanting to join the training program was because she felt it was the right place for a transition to a professional career. The audition gave her a positive feeling; not only was the atmosphere warm and friendly but the repertoire was very much to her taste.

Natalia: “I hope that the program will give me a better insight as to what direction to take as a dancer. I want to make new and interesting connections with people, both inside and out of the studio workplace. Above all, I am truly grateful to the Gulbenkian Foundation (Portugal) for the financial support they are providing to help me during this transition.”

Natalia has no particular ‘dream company’ in mind for the future but would like it to be ballet-based with a broad and varied neo-classical and contemporary repertoire. Choreographers like Ohad Naharin, Sharon Eyal and David Dawson are among those she admires while her favorite production up until now has been Kaash, by Akram Khan.

Outside of ballet she is an amateur pianist, an avid reader and loves the outdoors. She’s interested in philosophy and is passionate about somatics- using the mind/body connection to help understand the ‘inner self’.