Ed Watson: more than just an outstanding dancer - a really good bloke

Ed Watson signing a calendar after his talk

Photo Jane Lambert

(c) 2015 Jane Elizabeth Lambert, all rights reserved

On Tuesday evening I listened to Edward Watson in conversation at Danceworks. He is a principal of the Royal Ballet and ipso facto an outstanding dancer but he across across as a very likeable young man. He showed a sense of humour. He answered questions directly and thoroughly. He rewarded his fans (of which I am one) by signing their autograph books and calendars, posing for photos or (as in my case) shaking hands.

Watson explained that he started dancing to keep his sister company. Their studio was what his interviewer called a "rinky dink school in Bromley". From there he progressed to the Royal Ballet Associates though not without setbacks for he failed his RAD Grade 1. However, that did not prevent his progressing to White Lodge. His talent was recognized and anyway the school wanted more boys.

White Lodge is a boarding school and he was not particularly happy there for his first two years. His teachers included Pauline Wadsworth, Linda Goss and the late Anatoly Grigoriev who taught him "the heavy stuff". Watson said that nothing came easy to him and that it took some time to "grow into his body". Ballet wasn't a vocation in the early years - just something that he liked to do. From White Lodge he progressed to the Upper School and from there to the Royal Ballet. On being asked what his parents thought about his training he replied that he did not believe that they gave any thought to it at all. He was one of 4 and his parents encouraged all their children to pursue whatever career they wanted.

Watson's first solo role was in Kenneth MacMillan's The Judas Tree just before the Royal Opera House closed for refurbishment. That was a strange time for the Royal Ballet as it performed at different venues throughout London. It was around that time that he was given his first principal role in My Brother My Sisters, another MacMillan ballet.  It was also approximately when he started to work with Wayne McGregor who had been introduced to the Royal Ballet through Deborah Bull's Artists Development Initiative. Shortly afterwards Watson was promoted to soloist.

At this point the interviewer observed that "people don't realize how technical you have to be to Romeo, Manon etcetera." Watson replied that it was not that he was not classical it was just that he did not do classical. He could not, for example, imagine himself dancing in Swan Lake.  The interviewer noted that some of the music to which Watson dances is difficult. Watson explained that he recognized sound adding "something settles to sound" and though it might sound weird it was an "atmospheric thing". He gave The Rite of Spring as an example where things look as they sound.   Watson's big moment came when he was cast as Romeo. As it is a physically demanding role he hired Hugh Craig as a personal trainer to increase his strength and stamina.

In 2011 Watson danced in Arthur Pita's "The Metamorphosis" which is based on a work by Kafka. Pita spend a week reading Kafka in order to discover the characters.

Watson was asked about the choreographers he has worked or will be working with. He mentioned Wayne McGreogor, Wendy Whelan, Arlene Philips, Arthur Pita and Christopher Wheeldon. He has engagements at The Linbury and in New York City.

At that point questions were invited from the floor.

A gentleman asked Watson to describe his daily routine. He replied that a typical day might consist of class for 10:30 to 12:00, rehearsals from 12:00 to 17:30 and then perhaps a show. However, his routine did vary. Sometimes he would do pilates, for example.

I asked him how he felt when manipulating his face and body in all the shapes depicting jealousy in Act I of The Winters Tale. "Not easy at first" was the reply but he eventually got used to them.

Another gentleman said that he had been told by Watson's teacher that he was the most outstanding choreographer of his year. "Not true" was the reply. Everybody had to study choreography at the Royal Ballet School but he had no ambitions in choreography.

He was asked how he prepared for a role. He replied that he did a lot of work when he was asked to dance Mayerling.  He travelled to Vienna and visited the graves. He read voraciously and watched every performance he could.

He had been described as a "dance actor". He disavowed the description. "Straight acting is difficult" he said. "I'm a dancer and not an actor." Someone suggested he might train for the stage. He agreed that was a possibility.

Someone asked whether there was a role he still wanted to dance. "Not really" he replied. He had danced just about every role he had wanted to perform.

Another asked about personal setbacks. He mentioned injuring himself in The Song of the Earth and falling flat on his face in Giselle.

He was asked whether there were any dancers who had inspired him when he was young. He replied that he had never seen a ballet before he joined the Royal Ballet School.  He was impressed by Anthony Dowell and Wayne Eagling. The interviewer interjected that the role of male dancers had evolved tremendously over the years. Watson agreed adding that they can now be anything.  Young dancers nowadays are much less patient than his generation had been. They had a lot of enthusiasm and energy which was on balance a good thing.

The interviewer asked what he hopes to do when he retires from full time dancing. He had no plans beyond staying in the profession. Coaching was one possibility. Being a ballet master was another.

He was asked whether he got on well with the other principals and to the surprise of at least some of the audience he said he did. He shared a dressing room with Thiago Soares but it was rare for them to use it at the same time.

On being asked whether he wanted to say anything at the end of the interview he simply thanked everybody for coming,

Lesley Osman proposed a vote of thanks and we all clapped enthusiastically.

Almost everyone in the audience formed a queue to shake his hand. He had a kind word for each of us. Some of his fans asked him to sign autograph albums. Others asked him to pose for photos. He accepted the adulation with enormous grace. I thought to myself as I started my long drive back to Yorkshire: "what a really good bloke,"

Meet Gavin McCaig of Northern Ballet

Gavin McCaig joined Northern Ballet as an apprentice a few weeks ago. I was introduced to him by Janet McNulty at the Stanley and Audrey Burton Theatre on 21 June 2014 when I saw the company dance the Mixed Bill.  I asked Gavin whether I could do a feature on him when he could spare me the time. He kindly agreed. The opportunity to interview him arose this weekend.  The questions in italics came from me. The answers in heavy type are Gavin's.

I see you were born and brought up in Motherwell and started to learn to dance at the age of 7. Was it your idea to start dancing lessons at that age or was it your parents? If it was your idea what made you ask them to send you to the Marie Frame School?

It wasn’t my idea to start dancing at all. I had an older sister who went to our local dance school and my best friend (also a girl) who was a neighbour went too. Her mum was also an ex-professional dancer who recommended me going down to the dancing ‘because i’d love it!’. With my dad being a football-fanatic it wasn’t his idea of a pastime for a young boy growing up in our area. It was unheard of for boys to dance in our local area.

Are you the first in your family to become a professional dancer? Do you have relations who are good at dancing?

I am the first in my family to dance, as far as I know!

What attracted you to ballet as opposed to other styles of dance? 

Initially it wasn’t ballet which attracted me. When I started ballet wasn’t really mentioned at first. It was hip-hop, jazz, tap and street dance. Ballet came later, when I joined the Dance School of Scotland.

Can you remember the first time you saw a ballet performance? If so, in what theatre, which company and show? Was it live or on TV or in the cinema? Who were the dancers you remember? What age would you have been?

For me, it was a theatre performance which encouraged me to pursue a career on stage. CATS the musical was on tour in Edinburgh my mum organised for us to go and see it. I was mesmerised! A few years down the line, following my joining on the DSS, I think the first ballet I was ever taken to was Scottish Ballet. I have a feeling it was Ashley Page’s Sleeping Beauty which, at the time and as a young boy new to the ballet world, I wasn’t overly impressed by it.

Were there any dancers or choreographers who particularly impressed you in your early years? If so, who were they?

In the early years, I can’t say there was. It was only when I moved to London that I began to understand the arts world and more importantly the ballet world and the way it worked. In all honestly, I didn’t really even fully understand that after my 3 years there I would be endeavouring to join a ballet company. I just knew I wanted to be on stage, and was addicted to this all-new “ballet bubble” I found myself in. It was all so new to me!

Tell me a little about the instructors at Marie Frame who encouraged you to audition for The Dance School at Scotland.

Marie who ran the school was the one who suggested it. She obviously spotted the passion I had and the love I had developed for it in such a short space of time. It really does become and addiction and a part of you from a young age.

At what age did you audition for the Dance School of Scotland?

A youthful 11 years of age!

Did you enjoy your time in Glasgow? If so tell me about it?

My time in Glasgow was incredible. I moved away from home in to the school’s residence and shared with other boys in my year. The school was a normal secondary school but had the Dance School (Scotland’s only vocational centre of excellence for dance) ‘late night’ classes in ballet, tap and jazz.

Were there are teachers (or indeed student dancers) at Glasgow who particularly impressed you? 

Over my time at the school I worked with many great teachers (a lot of whom had close ties to Scottish Ballet or other parts of the dance world). Elaine Holland was our director there at the time - she was a wonderful woman and an excellent upbeat teacher. Kenny Burke, now the director of the school (ex-RB, and ex-director of SB) worked with us a lot too who was hugely encouraging and inspirational. Kerry Livingstone and Eleanor Moore Tyres had huge influences on me in my first and second years, as well as the late and great Frank Freeman who I had the pleasure of being taught by on numerous occasions. Frank encouraged me a great deal whenever he came to visit and even invited me down to the Yorkshire Ballet Seminars scholarship audition (for which I was given a week's free tuition at the course).

At what age did you audition for English National Ballet School?

15

Did you enjoy studying in London?

Yes I did. London is an incredible city. There’s no place like it. It’s bursting at the seams with arts and culture. People are open and intriguing, the city centre is buzzing with performances and things to do; and you were never far away from the next big thing going on.

Tell me a little about your studies in London. 

My three years in London were incredible at times but mostly very difficult and I have many unhappy memories from my time at ENBS. London can be a lonely place, especially when you are training in such an intense environ. It does all seem like a dream when you explain it to someone - but its far from it. Recently, David Nixon mentioned in a rehearsal how people can have the wrong idea about ballet - about the grit and determination and incessant hard work which remains the invisible backbone of the productions audiences come to enjoy, but can sometimes go unknown to the public.

The training I went through to get to where I am now was by no means easy. Day-in; day out, hammering your body which, for me, just wasn’t built for ballet! I’m not naturally flexible, turned out, strong or facilitated: and this does lead to problems. I suffered two major injuries over my time at school; a tear of my labrum in my hip which resulted in a hip operation and a few months later, a stress fracture in my foot which lasted the best part of a year. It’s intense down there and psychologically you have to be a fortress. I eventually succumbed to the negativity which you are surrounded by constantly and went through a pretty rough time following my foot problem. I see now though that it was all worth it but it’s a place which teaches you how to grow up quickly.

I just wish at the time I’d known I would actually make it and had a bit more confidence in myself. Persistence is the key to success, luckily. And the occasional glass of wine!

When you attended the Prague Masterclass did you have much contact with Daria Klimentová? If so, tell me about her and what you learned from her which you are using in your career as a dancer? Was there anyone else who impressed you?

Daria is an incredible ballerina and teacher. She runs the masterclasses which are an intensive week of training with the best teachers and most famous dancers and choreographers in the world. I truly never thought I’d have so much fun dancing and the atmosphere at the Masterclasses was exceptional - as well as Prague being such a breathtaking city for them to be held in.

Morning class was taught by a range of teachers including Christopher Hampson, Keith Mackintosh (Ballet Master for Cape Town CB), Marie Lindqvist (Principal Dancer at Royal Swedish), Daria Klimentová and Vadim Muntagirov, to name but a few. Following class the boys would group together upstairs to work on Variations. During the first week we worked on the two solos from ‘Theme and Variation’ by Balanchine, and also Bronze Idol from La Bayadere which was so much fun. Jan-Erik Wikström took these classes and I particularly liked working with him and his upbeat enthusiasm. Pas De Deux classes were also so much fun, again taken by Jan-Erik and his partner at Royal Swedish, Marie, whilst again, working on Theme and Variation. The classes had a buzz about them and it was clear everyone was having as much fun as I was learning the repertoire. I had the most incredible two weeks there, and winning the boys prize was the silver lining!

I see that you danced in Hansel and Gretel. I saw the show on 21 Dec (the last Saturday before Christmas).  Did you dance in that performance?

I’m not 100% if I did dance in that performance...I wasn’t in a set cast and was put on now and then to ease the workload of the other dancers.

How did you find Christopher Hampson?

I really like Chris. He’s a lovely guy who knows exactly what he’s doing and where he’s taking the company. I was privileged to work with him and the company - it was the ballet company I grew up watching and a big part of my journey as a young dancer. The company recently toured to Russia with Matthew Bourne’s Highland Fling, which is incredible. He’s opening new avenues for Scottish Ballet and that’s excellent. He’s also an incredible choreographer: his works have appeared everywhere from New Zealand to the USA.

I am delighted you have come to Leeds but What attracted you to Northern Ballet?

In all honesty, love! Kevin, my partner began dancing with the company as an apprentice during his third year at ENB School and when we became partners I came to watch him and the company regularly.

Tell me about the audition? What did you dance? 

The audition for Northern Ballet was intense and not like any other auditions I did. Usually you just do a ballet class and that’s your chance. It’s make or break. The audition for NB was a day long event which included partnering, dancing different parts of repertoire (Chaos scene from Cleopatra and Ball scene from Cinderella) plus an interview with the director.

What have you done since you joined the company?

This season we are performing more than ever. With Arts Council funding increases we are expected to perform even more and are headed for a massive 250 shows this season! We have been learning Cinderella, The Great Gatsby, Dracula and our new children’s ballet, Elves and the Shoemaker. I’ve also done a few interviews and a photo shoot, as well as getting used to the way things work here. It’s busy.

How do you like living in Yorkshire and working in Leeds? Do you ever miss the bright lights of London or Glasgow?

I love Leeds, I really do! I don’t often miss Glasgow although it’s always nice to return home. I do however miss my family and friends there an awful lot.

How do you like dancing with the company?

I’m living my dream. I knew I’d wanted to be a part of the company since I saw Beauty and The Beast, David’s narrative and inventive choreography coupled with the use of Danse Macabre, Op. 40 (in a particular scene,) I was hooked. I love story ballets and narrative works so the repertoire is exciting and enjoyable for me to be dancing. The foundations upon which the company has been built are that of a theatrical nature - Christopher Gable and David Nixon have made the narrative absolutely intrinsic to the works the company presents.

I’m loving being with the company and working with such incredible dancers, I’m inspired when I watch the older dancers of the company - they understand how to portray emotion and make the audience feel something.

How do you find touring?

I haven’t done a whole lot of touring yet so that we will have to wait and see. I’m looking forward to it at the moment, however.

You have said that you would like to dance Gatsby and in I got Rhythm. How about the classics such as Swan Lake, Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet etc. or the great Balanchine and Ashton ballets? Would you like to dance in any of them and if so in what role?

Of course I would love to dance in these classic ballets. I adore the classics and the beauty and grace of Swan Lake takes my breath away. I seen National Ballet of Canada dance Romeo and Juliet when they toured to London in April 2013 and it blew me away. 

Much to my excitement, Northern Ballet will present Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Romeo and Juliet in February. I can’t wait to be on stage dancing to that renowned and spectacular Prokofiev score. It’s going to be magical. A what role? Romeo, of course. To dance the balcony scene in Maillot or MacMillan’s would be a lifelong dream come true.

Who are your favourite choreographers of all time (other than David Nixon of course)?

I love Wayne McGregor. His work on Infra for the Royal Ballet blew me away. The piece is so emotive from the beginning and the choreography and staging is so fresh and modern: the man is a genius. I also love David Dawson’s work. Recently I seen his latest work for the Royal Ballet in November and I fell in love with it. The pas de deux work is so intricate and delicate, it’s a wonder how he creates such beautiful shapes and lifts.

Who are your favourite dancers of all time (from any company in the world)?

Guillaume Cöté , Steven McRae, Vadim Muntagirov, Daria Klimentova, Martha Leebolt, Vicki Sibson and Dreda Blow.

How do you see your career developing over the next few years?

I would hope to find my feet at Northern Ballet for the foreseeable future. I love it here and hope I can continue to develop as a young artist in such a nurturing environment.

Do you have any ambitions in choreography, teaching or management in later life?

Definitely. I feel this may be where I find myself sooner rather than later. I seem to be good at organising and planning; as well as thoroughly enjoying choreographing and teaching, both of which I had experience of during my time at school.

How did you get interested in software? Can you code? Have you designed any apps? List some of your favourite apps?

I have once tried to start to learn to code and gave up. It’s complicated business. Maybe more so than performing a tendu!

List some of your favourite films or TV shows?

Downton Abbey, Four in a bed, Come dine with me, X factor, Britain’s got talent,
Grand Designs.

Do you have any favourite actors, musicians, painters, composers or other artists?

I love music! I have so many favourite artists in my music library we may be here for some time discussing them all! Actor wise, I’m a huge Angelina Jolie fan!

Finally, what advice would you give to:
(a) a young boy or girl in Motherwell or anywhere else who is starting his or her dancing lessons and wants to become a professional dancer?

Don’t let anyone make you feel like what your doing is wrong for you. Be your own boss.

(b) a student at the Dance School of Scotland or similar school?
Prepare yourself...it get’s real from here on out!

(c) the English National Ballet School or similar school?
It can all be worth it, never give up!

Gavin is not just a remarkably gifted dancer, he is also a very pleasant and personable young man.  I wish him all the best in his career.

Further Reading
Northern Ballet  60 seconds with...Gavin McCaig