dr ABY WATSON (she/they)
is a neuroqueer artist, choreographer, performer, academic, and activist based in Glasgow.

Aby’s work is polymorphic: it takes many forms across contexts of contemporary performance and knowledge exchange, with a hyperfocus on radical neurodiversity. With special interests in neuroqueering, stimming, sensuality, and consciousness, Aby's playful and stimulating choreographic sensibility embodies non-neuronormative potentialities within the dance space through rhythm, repetition, ritual, multisensoriality, and togetherness.

Her work has toured nationally and internationally, to venues including The Southbank Centre, London; Sophiensaele, Berlin; Británico Cultural; Lima, and Tramway, Glasgow; and has been supported by The National Theatre of Scotland, Unlimited, British Council, Creative Scotland, and The Work Room. She has worked with National Theatre of Scotland, Touretteshero, Second Hand Dance, Magnetic North, Birds of Paradise, and Snap Elastic among others.

Aby trained in Contemporary Performance Practice at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS). She holds a PhD from RCS and the University of Saint Andrews for her doctoral research, titled 'Disordering Dance: Neuroqueering a Choreographic Practice', which discovers non-neuronormative practices of creating, performing, and experiencing dance. She has articles published in journals ‘Choreographic Practices’ and ‘Writing in Creative Practice’, and has contributions printed in books by artists Anna Püschel and Daniel Oliver. She has an upcoming chapter in the world's first anthology of neuroqueer theory, edited by Dr Nick Walker. She has delivered talks, lectures and discussions for Rambert School of Ballet, University of Glasgow, York University, RCS, and Creative Scotland.

The founding director of the Scottish Neurodiverse Performance Network, Aby is passionate about the creative potential of neurodivergence, alongside the inclusion, wellbeing, and equal equity of neurodivergent people in the performance sector. Aby is proudly dyslexic, dyspraxic, autistic, and has ADHD.

A lover of play and collaboration, Aby really enjoys performing in other people’s work across dance, theatre, visual art, and cabaret contexts. Adventurous and curious, she is always up for new creative connections and experiences. She likes to draw, design, sing, make music with friends, and DJ too. She is a big fan of Britney Spears.