The Royal Danish Theatre (Det Kongelige Teater) announced that Amy Watson became the new ballet master of the theatre, the role equivalent to an artistic director, as of 1 November 2024, amid a turbulent moment at the prestigious company.
Image by Natascha Thiara Rydvald. Downloaded from The Royal Danish Theatre’s press archive.
Amy Watson is a 43-year old U.S. national. She trained at The School of American Ballet in New York, before joining the Royal Danish Ballet as a corps member in 2000. She was promoted to Soloist in 2003 and Principal in 2007. In 2016, she began teaching in and assisted the company’s productions until her retirement as a dancer.
Watson was already acting as an intrim artistic director after her predecessor Nikolaj Hübbe took an indefinite leave of absence for medical reasons, according to media reports.
Earlier in May, Hübbe said he did not wish to extend his tenure after summer 2026, when his contract would expire. He was in the position since 2006. Subsequently, the theatre started a process to search a new leadership internally.
In late October, however, Hübbe stepped down somehow suddenly, citing his illness as a reason.
The leadership change at the Royal Danish Ballet, known for its unique Bournonville tradition, took place amid the accusations of and the subsequent third party investigations into the systemic psychological and physical bullying by teachers at its Ballet School, one of the world’s oldest, according to media reports such as Danish newspaper Politiken and The New York Times.