Academic dances the night away in new film starring Kate Winslet and Alan Rickman
Dr Heidi Ashton from the School of Management is starring in a new blockbuster film, A Little Chaos, released in UK cinemas on Friday 17 April.
Heidi appears as a dancer - after having already choreographed music videos and worked as a Psychologist in an Olympic Legacy Team with the next generation of Olympic athletes. She beat off stiff competition to win her place in the film - which stars Hollywood A-listers Kate Winslet and Alan Rickman as only 7 individuals were selected from around 100 who auditioned.
The British period drama is set in 17th Century France and centres around a strong-willed landscape gardener played by Winslet who challenges gender and class assumption when she is chosen to create one of the main gardens at the Palace of Versailles for King Louis XIV, portrayed by Rickman.
Speaking about filming A Little Chaos, Heidi said: “I loved the entire process. Learning a new technique (Baroque) was fascinating and our choreographer was excellent, constantly explaining how the style developed and the psycho-social context of the performance. My dance training taught me how and why Western dance has evolved but it was wonderful to actually learn this early technique."
She has also recently finished working on another film Victor Frankenstein, starring Daniel Radcliffe and James McAvoy, as a dancer and assistant choreographer which is due for release later this year.
Click here to read a full length feature about Heidi's dancing career
A trailer for A Little Chaos can be seen below: