Edward Watson

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.

Early years Edward Watson was born in Bromley, Kent and was brought up in Dartford with his twin sister, Liz. 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. and was one of six male students who graduated into the Upper School at the age of 16. His official title is répétiteur to the principal dancers.

Awards At the National Dance Awards in 2008, Watson won 'Best Male Dancer'. 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.