Paul Lightfoot (Kingsley, England) trained at the Royal Ballet School in Londen. In 1985 he joined Nederlands Dans Theater II and two years later the dancer moved on to Nederlands Dans Theater I, where he was vital to the image of this company. During his dance career he also took up choreography, his talent for which stood out in 1988, during the annual workshop of Nederlands Dans Theater. After this workshop he created The Bard of Avon for Nederlands Dans Theater II (1989), the first of many pieces for Nederlands Dans Theater I as well as Nederlands Dans Theater II, and also for Nederlands Dans Theater III at the time. His choreographies were made in close collaboration with Sol Leon, an alliance which continues to this date.
From 1989 Sol Leon and Paul Lightfoot have worked together producing choreographies for Nederlands Dans Theater. In August 2002 the couple were appointed resident choreographers of Nederlands Dans Theater. Together they have made 40 choreographies for this dance company. In 2007 Sol Leуn and Paul Lightfoot started a charity project for street children in Bangladesh.