Thick & Tight is co-directed by Daniel Hay-Gordon and El Perry.

Daniel and El have been working as Thick & Tight since 2012 after training together at Rambert School. They began by making small-scale work at pub theatres and gay pubs and have gone on to present shows at venues and festivals such as: London International Mime Festival, Sadler’s Wells, Southbank, Royal Opera House, Tate Britain, among others.

Of equal importance is the company’s focus on presenting work in socially engaged contexts such as LGBTQ+ venues, family festivals & charity fundraisers.

Based in ballet and contemporary dance techniques, Thick & Tight’s choreographic style is intricate, distinctive and musical. It incorporates elements of queer performance such as drag, lip-syncing and camp humour, with a close relationship between movement & design. The company’s work is currently and continually investigating a range of LGBTQ+ issues and figures, current queer culture and its link to dance.
Internationally, Thick & Tight’s work has been presented at a variety of arts festivals including Materia Prima (Poland), Stockholm Fringe (Sweden), Klovnbuf International Festival (Slovenia), Sydney Fringe (Australia) & Lucky Trimmer (Germany). In 2022, they travelled to Japan to study Noh and Kyogen theatre which led to them performing in Tokyo in 2023 at the Tessen Kai Theatre alongside a cast of Noh actors and musicians. They were also commissioned in 2025 to create a work on Zfin Malta, the National Dance Company of Malta, to celebrate their 10th anniversary.

Thick & Tight have received 6 awards:
-UK Theatre Award – Achievement in Dance 2025 for Natural Behaviour
– Winner of Cabaret category by the Offies 2024
– South East Dance’s Space to Dance Award
– Pebble Trust’s Brighton Fringe International Touring Bursary
– Stockholm Fringe Award for Excellence in Performance
– International Screendance Festival Frieburg

And they were also nominated for:
– Best Independent Company by the National Critics Circle Award 2023