Natasha Watson
Dancer, United Kingdom
Evidence of Relevant Skills
Throughout my time as a classical dancer I have been fortunate enough to draw inspiration, motivation and gain many skills that are essential to becoming a professional dancer. I am incredibly grateful to all who have guided me through my training.
International Ballet Competitions
Genée International Ballet Competition 2013 and Prix de Lausanne 2015
The opportunities to participate in such prestigious classical competitions were truly invaluable. Reflecting on my experiences, I discovered that performing alongside the finest young dancers in the world taught me a great deal, however, the preparation and months of training beforehand were what benefited me most as a dancer.
I consider myself to be a perfectionist and so working towards such prestigious events encouraged me to push myself far beyond my limitations. Once my mind is focused on a task, I fully commit myself to it. I place all of my attention and effort, both mentally and physically, into rehearsing or creating a piece that allows me to present myself in the best light. I pay close attention to detail: my understanding is that if I prepare fully then I can have the artistic freedom to immerse myself in the character or intention of the piece during the performance. Performing onstage is an incredible feeling and I am positive that it is the place where I feel most at home.
Returning to the studio after participating in a competition gives me a considerable advantage, as I feel inspired and motivated to improve both technically and artistically. I am incredibly grateful to all who encouraged me throughout these experiences. Overall, my participation in both competitions has enriched me as a young artist and I am achieving more than I could ever have imagined.
Scottish Ballet
World Premiere of Hansel and Gretel (Winter Season 2013-2014)
My first professional experience was working with Scottish Ballet. This was a highly formative experience and one that allowed me to mature as a classical ballet dancer. Working alongside professionals every day and studying each of them individually was an opportunity that, as a student, taught me a great deal.
I was privileged to have performed in the world premiere of Christopher Hampson’s Hansel and Gretel and perform several roles in the ballet. In particular, I love that I performed as a cupcake in my first professional classical ballet role!
Having had the opportunity to tour the United Kingdom with Scotland’s national ballet company and one of Britain’s leading companies, I now trust that I would be able to work well within a professional company. I developed skills such as working cooperatively with other dancers and working closely with choreographers and ballet staff. In my view, these are skills that are undoubtedly some of the most important when working in a company. I believe that I also succeeded in building a good reputation with the company. I was always one of the first dancers to arrive each working day, was fully reliable, learned more repertoire than was asked of me and did my utmost to develop each character role within the ballet.
The Artistic Director, Christopher Hampson, commented that he was very impressed by my professionalism both on and off stage and that my performance certainly added to the overall work. This was both humbling and reassuring to me that I was working well and succeeding in my passion: classical ballet.
The role of Assistant Choreographer at Ballet West
Throughout my dance training, I have been fortunate to work with many choreographers who have created short solos for me. Studying how each choreographer worked was, again, an invaluable experience and I derived elements from each of them before I embarked on the choreographic process of my first works.
Mr. Daniel Job, Teacher, Choreographer and Artistic Advisor at Ballet West, invited me to become his Assistant Choreographer on Scherzo à la Russe (Stravinsky, 1946) in which I danced the lead role. This was my first experience being involved artistically both on and off stage. Assisting Mr. Job was perhaps one of the most valuable lessons I have learned as a student. I assisted from the creation of the very first movement to polishing the last detail. It was very revealing to observe how much thought and preparation goes into creating a new work. I loved every second of the experience and Mr. Job commented that I had unlocked a new career path as he believes I have a natural flair for choreography. This was overwhelming and incredibly encouraging!
Mr. Job then invited me to assist him in creating his full-length production of Romeo and Juliet (Prokofiev, 1935). This was another new experience for me: I was aware that creating a three-act ballet would be a very different process to creating one short piece. I felt incredibly privileged to have been invited to assist him and accepted the offer immediately. Working closely with each of the dancers throughout the creative process was an enjoyable experience and I welcomed the challenge of bringing Mr. Job’s ideas to the stage. I believe that I worked professionally throughout the creation of this ballet and also in my role as Juliet’s Friend, which I performed at the SECC Glasgow.
Mr. Daniel Job is a creative and choreographic genius! As a young artist and aspiring choreographer, working with him taught me a great deal. I am sincerely grateful to Mr. Job for allowing me to be part of his creative processes and look forward to working with him again in the near future.