Search results for: wendy whelan

Well over a year after the retirement of Peter Martins, New York City Ballet has announced that former principal dancer Jonathan Stafford will lead the company and its affiliated School of American Ballet as artistic director. Fellow former principal Wendy Whelan will serve as associate artistic director. New York City Ballet is thrilled to announce […]

Wendy Whelan gave away all her leotards in December. It was a Christmas surprise for her Ballet Academy East students—and an experiment. By getting rid of her uniform of more than 30 years, she hoped her muscle memory would let go of old movement patterns. “The minute I got myself out of leotards, my body […]

There were many wonderful things about the new documentary Wendy Whelan: Restless Creature. One of them was her vulnerability in talking about leaving New York City Ballet after 30 years. I was almost crying too. But what keeps ringing in my mind is something Pacific Northwest Ballet artistic director and former NYCB dancer Peter Boal […]

The film world is teeming with fantastic dancer documentaries right now.  Of course, there was Misty Copeland’s much talked-about film, A Ballerina’s Tale, released last year. Sergei Polunin’s Dancer just came out last month. A fascinating biopic of Ohad Naharin, appropriately titled Mr. Gaga, should be on every dancer’s must-see list this February. Whelan in Restless Creature The latest dancer documentary […]

Everyone came prepared with tissues or hankies. But in the end, there weren’t many tears—at least not as many as predicted—because Whelan herself projected such joy. I was very moved by her during the first ballet, Balanchine’s Sonnambula. It was an eerie choice for a farewell because the Sleepwalker seems to be a ghost who […]

The first time I ever went to Steps as a teenager, something amazing happened. Sure, the class (Willy Burmann’s) was great. But what I remember most is how one dancer graciously held the door open for my parents and me to file out of the building afterwards. I turned to my mom and whispered, “Oh […]

The edgy ballerina says good-bye to New York City Ballet and hello to new experiments. In her Restless Creature duet with Brian Brooks. Photo by Christopher Duggan, Courtesy Whelan. Wendy Whelan has practically defined the term “contemporary ballerina.” With her crystal-cut shapes and unsentimental, almost spiritual energy, she brings clarity to whatever she dances, whether […]

While many dancers hide their injuries, New York City Ballet star Wendy Whelan writes about how she took ownership of hers by sharing her recovery on social media.       1. #sothishappenedtoday 2. #4hourslater #newlabrum #SOHAPPY 3. #andshesoff #alreadywalking #onestepinfrontoftheother #slowlybutsurely Denial, confusion and frustration are the words that come to mind when I recall […]