On the evening of March 1, 2025, accompanied by his colleagues on stage, Harper Watters became the newest Principal Dancer at Houston Ballet.
Having just danced as part of the Blue Couple in Artistic Director Stanton Welch’s Maninyas, Watters was notably promoted to the company’s highest rank as he is the first dancer since 2018 to do so.
“Stepping into my audition with Houston Ballet feels like yesterday, but it was the beginning of something so much bigger. That day, I felt a sense of humanity and identity that this community has continued to show me, and that feeling has only grown.
I’m grateful to be part of Houston Ballet and excited for the journey ahead — expressing myself through dance and sharing that passion with the world.
– Harper Watters, Principal Dancer at Houston Ballet
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Harper Watters
Harper Watters grew up in Dover, New Hampshire and began his formal dance training at the Walnut Hill School for the Arts. His professional story started in 2009 when he joined Houston Ballet II, the second company of the Houston, Texas ballet organization.
Since then, Watters has risen through the ranks. In 2011, he joined the main company in the corps de ballet; in 2016 and 2017, he was promoted to demi-soloist and soloist, respectively; and in 2021, he became a first soloist.
Watters’ repertoire with Houston Ballet is expansive, dancing traditional classical ballets and creating roles in innovative contemporary new works such as Aszure Barton’s Angular Momentum and Come In; Garret Smith’s Return; Justin Peck’s Reflections, and Stanton Welch’s Sylvia (Apollo), The Rite of Spring, and The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra (Trumpet).
He has also performed in:
- Welch’s The Nutcracker (Prince) and La Bayadère (Performer);
- Ben Stevenson’s The Nutcracker (Gopak and Lead Flower), Don Quixote (Sancho Panza and Espada), Giselle, and Romeo and Juliet
- George Balanchine‘s The Four Temperaments (‘Theme 1’), Theme and Variations, Jewels, and Ballet Imperial.
Featured Photo of Houston Ballet‘s newest Principal Dancer Harper Watters in Stanton Welch’s Clear. Photo by Claire McAdams (2022). Courtesy of Houston Ballet.
