{{Short description|British ballet dancer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}} '''Edward Watson''' MBE (born 21 May 1976) is a British ballet dancer. He is a retired principal dancer and currently a coach with the Royal Ballet in London.<ref name="Edward Watson">{{cite web|title=Edward Watson|url=http://www.roh.org.uk/people/edward-watson|publisher=Royal Opera House|access-date=27 March 2020}}</ref>
==Early years== Edward Watson was born in Bromley, Kent and was brought up in Dartford with his twin sister, Liz.<ref name="Ballet interview">{{cite web|url=http://www.ballet.co.uk/magazines/yr_04/jan04/interview_watson.html|title=Edward Watson First Soloist, Royal Ballet|access-date=26 December 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100123052818/http://www.ballet.co.uk/magazines/yr_04/jan04/interview_watson.htm |archive-date=23 January 2010 }}</ref> He first attended dance classes at the age of 3, and was later accepted as a student at the Royal Ballet School, eventually joining the full-time school at White Lodge, Richmond Park.<ref name="Ballet interview" /> Whilst at the school, he trained with Anatoly Grigoriev, a former dancer of the Kirov Ballet<ref name="ballet interview June 7">{{cite web|url=http://www.ballet.co.uk/magazines/yr_07/jul07/interview_edward_watson.htm| title=Edward Watson Principal, The Royal Ballet|access-date=26 December 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202035057/http://www.ballet.co.uk/magazines/yr_07/jul07/interview_edward_watson.htm |archive-date=2 December 2008 }}</ref> and was one of six male students who graduated into the Upper School at the age of 16.<ref name="ballet interview June 7" /> At the Upper School his teachers included German Zammel and Julie Lincoln.<ref name="ballet interview June 7" /> Whilst training at the Upper School, Watson danced a number of roles: *''Checkmate'' by Ninette de Valois, 1993 (Role: Black Castle)<ref name="ballet interview June 7" /> *''Simple Symphony'' by Matthew Hart, 1993<ref name="ballet interview June 7" /> *''Monotones No. 2'' by Frederick Ashton, 1994<ref name="ballet interview June 7" /> *''Napoli'' by August Bournonville, 2004 (Role: Pas de Six)<ref name="ballet interview June 7" />
==Career== Watson graduated into The Royal Ballet in 1994 and was promoted to Principal in 2005. His repertory with the Company includes major roles in works by Frederick Ashton and Kenneth MacMillan. His many role creations for Wayne McGregor include in ''Symbiont(s)'', ''Qualia'', ''Chroma'', ''Infra'', ''Limen'', ''Carbon Life'', ''Raven Girl'', ''Tetractys'', ''Woolf Works'', ''Obsidian Tear'' and ''Multiverse'', and for Christopher Wheeldon Lewis Carroll/The White Rabbit in ''Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland)'', Leontes in ''The Winter’s Tale'' and John Singer Sargent in ''Strapless''. Watson has worked with numerous other choreographers, including Siobhan Davies, David Dawson, Javier de Frutos, Alastair Marriott, Cathy Marston, Ashley Page and Arthur Pita.<ref name="Edward Watson"/>
In August 2020, it was announced that Watson would retire following a performance of McGregor's ''The Dante Project''. He has remained with the company as a coach.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2020/aug/14/edward-watson-to-retire-as-royal-ballet-principal-dancer|title= Edward Watson to retire as Royal Ballet principal dancer|newspaper=The Guardian|date=14 August 2020}}</ref> His official title is répétiteur to the principal dancers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Edward Watson: 'It's just dancing. It's humans telling stories of love, loss and anger' |url=https://www.thestage.co.uk/big-interviews/edward-watson-dancer-royal-ballet |access-date=22 December 2022 |website=The Stage |language=En}}</ref>
==Awards== At the National Dance Awards in 2008, Watson won 'Best Male Dancer'.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationaldanceawards.com/dance2008/best_male.htm |title=Dancing Times Award for Best Male Dancer |publisher=National Dance Awards |access-date=26 December 2015}}</ref> He also won the Olivier Award in 2012 for Outstanding Achievement in Dance for his performance as Gregor Samsa in Arthur Pita's interpretation of Franz Kafka's ''Metamorphorsis'' at the Linbury Studio. In 2015 he won Prix Benois de la Danse for his performance as Leontes in Christopher Wheeldon ''The Winter's Tale'' at the Royal Ballet.
==Honours== In the 2015 Birthday Honours, Watson was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to dance.<ref>{{cite web|last=Butler |first=Lottie |url=http://www.roh.org.uk/news/edward-watson-awarded-xx-for-services-to-dance |title=Edward Watson awarded MBE for services to dance – News – Royal Opera House |website=Roh.org.uk |date=13 June 2015 |access-date=26 December 2015}}</ref><ref name=GBR>United Kingdom: {{London Gazette |issue=61256 | date=12 June 2015 |pages=B25| supp=y}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{OlivierAward DanceAchievement}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Edward}} Category:1976 births Category:British male ballet dancers Category:People educated at the Royal Ballet School Category:Morphoses dancers Category:National Dance Award winners Category:Laurence Olivier Award winners Category:Living people Category:People from Bromley Category:Principal dancers of The Royal Ballet Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire Category:Prix Benois de la Danse winners Category:People from Dartford