Harper Watters, who had a natural interest in dance at an early age, also sought a sense of community throughout his training. The only boy enrolled in a local studio in New Hampshire, Waters eventually enrolled at Walnut Hills School of the Arts, which led to a life-changing audition at age 15 for the Houston Ballet Summer Intensive. It was the only show that made me laugh and the only show that connected me with my teacher, Claudio Muñoz, who eventually became my second company director,” Waters recalled. road. “I’ve always longed for community and feeling like I could grow my own personality, and I felt that in my audition,” he explains. “I know that no matter what level I’m at, Houston is going to give me what I need.”
Waters, who was promoted to principal soloist in 2021 and is now in his 13th season with Houston Ballet, has found that he can help create a sense of belonging for others. He started producing the video series “The Pre-Show” in 2015. How they perform, what they’re interested in,” he said. Sometimes that means dancing on a treadmill in high heels, and other times it means shining a light on the work of Black queer dancer Waters. “If I honestly share the work that I do for the roles that I dance, and the dancers that inspire me, and the things that I love, then I hope that maybe that will inspire someone else to advocate for themselves or someone else who needs it.”
The initial spark:
“My love for dance actually started from watching the Olympics and seeing Dominic Dawes on the balance beam. And then the first gift my parents gave me was a New York City Ballet production nutcracker VHS video by Macaulay Culkin. This inspired me to put on small shows in my living room, and my curiosity about dance and its content led me to take classes.
Eye-opening moments:
“My father was an English professor at the University of New Hampshire, and we would go see the touring companies that performed there. When the second Alvin Ailey company came, it was a big moment for me because I Love dance, I’m fascinated by dance, but I’ve never seen anyone dance like me and it’s natural to say, “Oh, I have to be a modern dancer, this is what I’m supposed to do,” but I think that’s it. Some restrictions. When I came to Houston for the second time in 2009, I felt like classical ballet was achievable because I felt like I had already taken the first step.
Memorable part:
“I never really thought I was a prince, or embodied what a prince was, so in Stanton Welch’s Dance My First Prince’s Journey nutcracker This is a big moment for me. It was also a great opportunity to lead a ballet and during that time I was promoted to semi-soloist.
Dream role:
“Characters like Romeo are about the human experience, where you’re dealing with loss and telling a story, and they’re very scary to me. But having danced recently and been exposed to some very character-driven characters, I’d love to play in Where Dancing Romeo Romeo and Juliet”.
A piece of history:
“Every time I revisit Stanton Welch’s work Clear, I discover new things. I danced this dance with a good friend like Junwei [Chan]now I danced this dance with Nazir [Muhammad] and Eric Best in New York. with julie [Kent]Being the originator of this character and now our co-director, it was really special to have her working with us in the studio.
His pre-show routine:
“I used to be someone who, because of my age, could just walk into a show and just start performing. But over the past few years, I’ve really needed to prepare my body for what I’m about to do, And Pilates has always been a big part of my routine, and I like to do it in the morning, and if we have a show, I’ll go in about two hours early and do a Pilates warm-up to really get my body ready.
