CEO and Principal of Northern School of Contemporary Dance
Sharon Watson CEO and Principal of Northern School of Contemporary Dance. Prior to this, Sharon was the 7th Artistic Director of Phoenix Dance Theatre. Trained at the London School of Contemporary Dance, she was one of the first female Principal Dancers invited to join the all-male award-winning Phoenix Dance Company, touring with the company from 1989 to 1997 where she choreographed Never Still and Shaded Limits. Having left Phoenix to pursue a number of other ventures, including setting up her own company ABCD and lecturing at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance for six years, Sharon returned in 2009 as the new Artistic Director. Since then Sharon has choreographed Fast Lane, Melt, Never 2 Still, Repetition of Change, TearFall and Windrush: Movement of the People. She was Yorkshire Woman of the Year in 2017, 2018 First English Woman’s Award for Arts and Culture and is in the Top 50 Power List of the Northern Power Women Awards and previous Chair of Leeds 2023. Sharon is committed to improving diversity within the arts by supporting the creative voices of women and BAME artists.
Industry Champions
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Sharon Watson
CEO and Principal of Northern School of Contemporary Dance
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