My Yorkshire: Sharon Watson

What's your first memory of being outdoors?

I remember going to church when I was four or five, all dressed up in my Sunday best. Getting ready was a ritual and I used to wear white socks and a blue beret. There were eight of us, five born in Jamaica and the rest of us here and we used to go to the City Mission Pentecostal in Leeds. We had to learn our Scriptures and recite them and we would be tested on our verses before we went.

What's your favourite part of the county and why?

I've got fond memories of my old stomping ground in Harehills, but Flamborough Head is absolutely stunning. I first went with the other girls from the company on a bonding trip. It was really significant, as I had just come back to Yorkshire from working with Extemporary Dance in London. We decided to go for a picnic – dancers love their food – and we just stumbled on it. We walked along the pebbled shore and it was so tranquil, I loved it and I went back years later with my husband.

What's your idea of a perfect weekend/day out in Yorkshire?

I like going out with my family to Golden Acre Park in Leeds. The kids, Monique and Daniel, bring their bikes and we take a picnic and feed the ducks. But the perfect day out is to Ingleton with my extended family. There are at least 25 of us of all ages and we are like a convoy. Everyone cooks this marvellous Caribbean food. We went last Easter and we don't eat meat so we had fantastic seafood. It's quite an event and we go walking with the kids leading the way, but we never manage to tire them out.

Do you have a favourite walk, or view?

I really like to walk down Gledhow Valley Road in Leeds with the trees on either side and the little stream down at the bottom. When we were little, we would take our nets and go fishing for sticklebacks. I do that walk when I need time to think. It's lovely in all seasons.

Which Yorkshire sportsman/woman (past or present) would you like to take for lunch?

My husband, Andrew, who was a professional footballer and played for Walsall, Carlisle, Blackpool and Halifax. Because I'm so busy I'd like to have some time with him over lunch. But I also wish I could have met Jane Tomlinson: her legacy is so inspirational.

Which Yorkshire stage or screen star, past or present, would you like to take for dinner?

The actors Ben Kingsley and Patrick Stewart. I just think they have a real aura and presence you can't buy. They really connect with their audiences without being contrived. Perhaps they can teach me about developing that presence.

If you had to name your Yorkshire hidden gem, what would it be?

It's a person rather than a place. The sculptor Mandy Long is a real hidden gem and we need to get her work out there more. She has come into rehearsals and watched our dancers and created a really exciting piece of sculpture for us. She recently had an exhibition at The Calls in Leeds and she's my lady of the moment.

What do you think gives Yorkshire its unique identity?

Yorkshire matters to Yorkshire people and it's their attitude which is important. We've had a battering about flat caps and whippets from the South, but we are very sophisticated here. We have a voice in Yorkshire, which is not diluted. Yorkshire shouts loud. People are proud, but embracing and giving. Being first generation Black British it's important to have a voice and embrace opportunities in the county. I think of myself as Yorkshire, very much so, but I also see myself as a chameleon as I fit in comfortably and can be whatever I want to be.

Do you follow sport in the county, and if so what?

I've just started getting into Leeds Rhinos. When doing my Masters at Leeds Met, I had the opportunity to work with the Rhinos players and their anthem music composed by Carl Davis. The piece I created was Dancing with Rhinos. Recently, I have been working with them on a strand of the imove programme to integrate sport and celebrate the moving body leading up to the 2012 Olympics. So now I'm interested in rugby league and we've got all the shirts at home.

What about Yorkshire's cultural life?

It's rich, varied and challenging. It's all the things that make you feel alive. Culture in Yorkshire is just wonderful and challenges anything they have in London, as we have works and companies of international importance. I intended to come back to Yorkshire for six months but I have stayed and achieved all my goals, so I don't need to live anywhere else.

Do you have a favourite restaurant or pub?

I really love Casa Mia in Chapel Allerton, Leeds. It's Italian and family run and I like it for the atmosphere as well as the food. It's sophisticated enough for a romantic meal, but they also welcome children.

Do you have a favourite food shop?

The one over the road from my mum's house in Gathorne Terrace. It's got everything Caribbean and Asian: yams, plantain, salt fish and akee and things you would never expect to see. I used to be sent across every day with a shopping list and had to get breadfruit and learn what makes a good one.

How do you think Yorkshire has changed in the time you've known it?

The investment in the physical appearance of Leeds has been enormous. Friends come back and say the landscape is so different. I think they've utilised the city centre and waterfront well.

Are those changes for the better?

Of course. My mother's view of Leeds when she came from Jamaica was that there was no colour, everything was grey. Yorkshire has so much to offer and we should make good use of what we have.

Who is the Yorkshire man or woman you most admire?

It has to be Nadine Senior, the founder principal of the Northern School of Contemporary Dance. She's a real inspiration as a person and there's no hidden agenda with her. She taught me and my sister at Harehills Middle School. When we were 16, we went to The Place in London to study dance. She opened the book for me and allowed me to choose. I went home and said: "Mum and dad I'm going to London." My parents trusted her to take care of their two daughters. She came on the train with us and that was it.

How has Yorkshire influenced your work?

When I went from Harehills to London, I was making history in those days. You would never have thought of a black family being involved in something like dance. Yorkshire has allowed me to be able to create works and do wonderful cultural things. I am very proud to have been recognised for my work and honoured to be chosen as one of the 50 Women to Watch in 2010 by the Cultural Leadership Programme. But I have to admit I'd love an OBE!

Name your favourite Yorkshire book/author/artist/CD/performer

My book used to be Jane Eyre when we did it at school. I had a good English teacher who brought it all alive and I escaped into a fantasy world. I have a range of CDs, mainly from the States, but I admire Corinne-Bailey Rae and for performers from the world of dance, David Hughes and Darshan Singh Bhuller, both from Leeds.

Where is the one place you would recommend as a must see for a first-time visitor to Yorkshire?

I absolutely adore York but don't get there very often. If my relatives came over from Jamaica, they would really appreciate it, with the Minster and the cobbled streets and the Shambles to entice them. It's incredibly beautiful with that great sense of history. It's only a short train journey from Leeds as well and they could enjoy the countryside on the way.

Phoenix Dance Theatre will perform the new imove piece, Don't Just Sit There, at the Great Yorkshire Show from July 13-15 and the touring programme, Ignite, is at the Theatre Royal, Wakefield, on Friday, June 25.

YP MAG 8/5/10