"He gave us related words and tasks, and all the dancers had to come up with our own ideas around the concept of a raft as hope. Different people have different 'rafts' and use them in different ways. You have to draw on your own experiences. We all have different upbringings that shape our ideas, we form different relationships - we all have different experiences of our life being in danger."
The result is "very physical - but that is a given for Neil and for Black Grace", she says.
German reviews spoke of "technical finesse of almost archaic rawness" and "a powerful demonstration of strength and battle readiness".
That strength and powerful physicality is a challenge that Watkins revels in. "I love it," she says. "You are constantly pushed to the max creatively and physically. The steps are hard and you have to work extremely hard. The whole environment here challenges you to be the very best you can possibly be."
To balance all that challenge is the huge opportunity that Black Grace offers its small core, including Watkins, of senior dancers. While everyone starts on a contract for a specific project, Watkins is one of three who have permanent status.
"This is a proper job," she says of her tenure with Black Grace, with considerable glee. "I never thought, as a teenager, that dance in New Zealand could offer that - I work 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. I get holiday and sick pay. And I don't have to wait tables in between."
Watkins graduated from the New Zealand School of Dance in 2005 and worked as a freelance artist, with a long association with Ann Dewey's Spinning Sun before joining Black Grace in 2009. The 27-year-old was struck by the number of teenagers in the full houses their performances drew on the recent German foray.
"The arts are huge there," she says.
"Young people go to the theatre or the opera or to a dance performance every Friday night. It is important to them and to their culture. We are such a young country ..."
What: Waka with Black Grace dance company
Where and when: Te Whaea National Dance and Drama Centre, Wellington, to July 31
Forum North, Whangarei, August 4
WEL Trust Academy of Performing Arts, Hamilton, August 8-11
Maidment Theatre, Auckland, August 25-29