Heather Watts (born Linda Heather Watts; September 27, 1953) is a
ballet dancer
A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on ye ...
, most known for her time with the
New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company' ...
.
Biography
Born in
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California.
Incorporate ...
, her dream as a little girl was to be an actress. An acting coach advised her taking ballet classes, seeing as she was incredibly dramatic (and clumsy). So she started dancing at the age of 10, to "develop poise." She came to New York at the age of 13 on a
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...
summer scholarship to attend the
School of American Ballet, the official school of the New York City Ballet. She moved permanently to New York at age 15, again on a Ford Foundation scholarship to the School of American Ballet.
Watts joined the New York City Ballet in 1970 and was promoted to principal dancer by company co-founder
George Balanchine in 1979. Balanchine took Watts into his company "because he would not let such a talent disappear." During Watts's tenure with the company, she had numerous principal roles created for her by Balanchine,
Jerome Robbins
Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television.
Among his nu ...
, and
Peter Martins
Peter Martins (born 27 October 1946) is a Danish ballet dancer and choreographer. Martins was a principal dancer with the Royal Danish Ballet and with the New York City Ballet, where he joined George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and John Taras as ...
among others. Balanchine gave Watts the principal roles in many of his existing masterpieces, including ''
Agon'', Concerto Barocco, ''
Apollo
Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label= Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label ...
'', Symphony in C, ''
Theme and Variations'' and ''
Serenade''. Watts performed around the world and starred in numerous ''
Dance in America'' television programs, and she performed opposite frequent partner
Mikhail Baryshnikov at the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...
in a national televised performance of Balanchine's ''
Rubies
A ruby is a pinkish red to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sap ...
'' for President and Mrs.
Carter
Carter(s), or Carter's, Tha Carter, or The Carter(s), may refer to:
Geography United States
* Carter, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Carter, Mississippi, an unincorporated community
* Carter, Montana, a census-designated place
* Carter ...
. Watts retired from the stage in a gala performance at Lincoln Center in 1995. She married fellow New York City Ballet Principal
Damian Woetzel in 1999.
In addition to her dancing career, Watts was director of the New York State Summer School of the Arts in
Saratoga Springs
Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over ...
from 1982 to 1994, where she administered a ballet school for gifted children. Watts has directed many national and international dance touring companies, including a tour entitled "Homage a Balanchine" of 108 cities for Columbia Artists, and she has rehearsed and staged ballets around the world. She has also designed costumes for new ballets at the New York City Ballet, as well as for Off-Broadway productions. Watts was a founding board member of Gods Love We Deliver and also served on the board of
Friends In Deed, both services for persons living with AIDS—she was among the first artists to join the fight against AIDS in the mid-1980s. She is the co-author, with fellow NYCB collaborator
Jock Soto, of the cookbook ''"Our Meals: Making a Home for Family and Friends"'' (Riverhead, 1997). Among the many awards that Watts has received are Jerome Robbins Award, the Dance Magazine Award, the L'Oreal Shining Star Award, the Lions of the Performing Arts Award from the
New York Public Library, and various state awards for education. She has appeared on the
Charlie Rose Show, ''
Good Morning America'', and the ''
CBS Morning News
The ''CBS Morning News'' is an American early-morning news broadcast presented weekdays on the CBS television network. The program features late-breaking news stories, national weather forecasts and sports highlights. Since 2013, it has been anc ...
'' among other programs. Watts has served as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts, and currently serves on the Artists Committee for the Kennedy Center Honors, and on the selection committee for the Bessie Awards 2011 in New York City.
Watts has been a contributing editor at ''
Vanity Fair'' magazine since 1995. She currently covers arts and culture for the magazine, and is the photographer Bruce Weber's editor. She has also written articles for ''Vanity Fair'', as well as ''Italian Vogue'', ''L'Uomo Vogue'', and ''
Dance Magazine
''Dance Magazine'' is an American trade publication for dance published by the Macfadden Communications Group. It was first published in June 1927 as ''The American Dancer''. ''Dance Magazine'' has multiple sister publications, including '' Point ...
'' among other publications. She was an official technical consultant for the motion-picture ''
Black Swan''.
Watts was the ''Class of 1932 Visiting Lecturer'' in Dance at Princeton University for 2011-1
Watts also co-created a new seminar for the Dance Education Laboratory at the
92nd Street Y, and has taught master ballet classes at Hunter College. She currently serves on Hunter's Dance Advisory Board. In addition, Watts taught academic courses in 2006 and 2007 on Balanchine's life and work at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
as a Visiting Lecturer. For her work at Harvard, Watts received two
Derek Bok
Derek Curtis Bok (born March 22, 1930) is an American lawyer and educator, and the former president of Harvard University.
Life and career
Bok was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Following his parents' divorce, he, his mother, brother and siste ...
awards for distinguished teaching.
In January 2012, Watts received a Doctorate in Fine Arts ''honoris causa'' from Hunter College.
'
Sources
A Prima Ballerina Takes a Final Bow - The New York Times*
ttps://web.archive.org/web/20100803180344/http://www.charlierose.com/guest/view/5122 Heather Watts on The Charlie Rose ShowJeté Propelled: Stars and Students Mingle at the Harvard Dance Center - Harvard Magazine*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watts, Heather
American ballerinas
1953 births
Living people
Harvard University faculty
New York City Ballet principal dancers
School of American Ballet alumni