Aidan Watson: Competition Dancer Turned Pre-Pro Dancer

Aidan Watson began to dance at the age of three and became an incredibly well-known competition dancer, but on January 12, 2018, everything changed.

Aidan’s mom's friend convinced Aidan to start dance. He started at Carrollton Academy of Dance and trained in many styles. He went to his first dance competition at the age of four, and later in third grade, he transferred to Fever Performing Arts in Bremen, Georgia. Ballet was his least favorite style of dance. His favorites were contemporary and jazz. He began taking a few classes at Atlanta Ballet in the summer of 2017 after his instructor wanted him to improve his technique. He performed in Atlanta Ballet’s Nutcracker. Then, on January 12, 2018, he was offered a spot in Academy 2 at the Pre-Professional ballet level.

Atlanta Ballet's Pre-Professional program is an intensive training program where you have classes for three to four hours a day. The majority of what Academy dancers do is take ballet class or rehearsals for ballet productions. We only get to take a few contemporary, modern, pilates, and dance history classes a week, but for the most part, all we do is ballet. Atlanta Ballet’s Academy sets you on a track for a professional ballet career. Competition dance is extremely different. For the first half of the year, you learn your dances that you will compete in the second half of the year. Studios from all over Georgia will meet together for a competition. If you do well in that competition you get invited to Nationals. This is a nationwide competition that is a week long. Aidan won Nationals many times he even won Mr. Junior dance America.

There is a lot of tension between the two dance worlds as ballet dancers often think of competition dance as tacky. Competition dancers often call ballet dancers “uptight bunheads.” It is unheard of for a dancer to switch the way Aidan did.

Aidan's transition between these two very different dance worlds was not easy. He thinks it wasn’t that hard for him mentally. He also thought the endurance and time commitment wasn’t that hard of a transition. His body was used for grueling amount of dance each day, but taking only ballet classes is very hard on the body when you're not used to it. At first, he felt very constricted by only ballet. He wanted to explore other styles of dance, and he felt bored with just ballet. However, he quickly found a love for ballet. He still enjoys other styles of dance, and he’s not sure if joining a ballet company is the right career path for him.

When asked if he prefers competition dance or Pre-Professional training and if he would change his past in competition dance he said, “I could never choose. I love both too much. I love the diverse training from all the teachers and all styles of competition dance, but I also love how much I can focus on building and mastering the ballet technique in the academy. I wouldn’t change anything I am so happy with everything I’ve accomplished.” However, in competition dance, he said: “I felt like a prop for the girls to use, I loved that part of my life, but I’m happy that I left.”

Summer programs are also a very important aspect of a dancers life. Summer programs are where you go live in a different city, usually living in a dorm with a roommate, and you train every day. It is a good way to be taught by different teachers, make connections with other people in the dance industry, and become a well-rounded dancer. When Aidan was eleven he went to Joffrey San Francisco for one week. When he was twelve he went to Joffrey LA for two weeks and Joffrey NY for one week. At thirteen he went to the University of North Carolina School of the Arts Contemporary Intensive for five weeks. He is still not sure where he is going to go this summer.

Dance is extremely difficult on your body and mind. He has pulled many muscles in his dance career. He’s sprained his ankles 3 times. This year, Aidan got horrible tendinitis in his hips. He was diagnosed with “Snapping Hip Syndrome” this meant he was not allowed to jump or lift his leg above 90 degrees for 10 weeks.  Aidan is also tall and faces the common challenge of trying to remain flexible while growing, which is extremely difficult. He said he thinks the hardest part of dance is “constantly comparing yourself and trying to make sure you're as good as everyone else.” Many dancers deal with similar insecurities.

Being a male in the dance world can be very difficult in general. However, Aidan thinks it's easier to be a male in the ballet world than a girl, because there is more respect for males and less competition.

Aidan is doing amazing this year in the Academy and his future is looking very bright.

By Ben Schleifer