Heather Watts

Class of 1932 Visiting Lecturer in Dance

Heather Watts joined New York City Ballet in 1970 and was a Principal Dancer until her retirement in a gala performance in 1995. Ms. Watts worked closely with George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins at NYCB, and was an acclaimed international star. She taught academic courses in 2006 and 2007 on Balanchine’s life and work at Harvard University, and received two Derek Bok awards for distinguished teaching. She has taught master classes worldwide and was the Director of the New York State Summer School of the Arts from 1982 to 1994. Ms. Watts is a contributing cultural editor at Vanity Fair, has served as a panelist for the NEA, and serves on the Artists Committee for the Kennedy Center Honors.