WENDY WHELAN

One of the most acclaimed dancers of her generation

Wendy Whelan is one of the most celebrated ballet dancers of all time, performing internationally as a soloist and now acting as the Associate Artistic Director of New York City Ballet.

Born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, Whelan began her foray into dancing when she was just three years old. Finding her footing early, by the time she was eight, she was able to perform in The Nutcracker with the Louisville Ballet. Her ambitions only picked up momentum from that point. 

In 1986, she became a member of the New York City Ballet’s corps de ballet. In her new appointment, she continued to impress, eventually gaining the promotion to principal soloist in 1989. Just two years later, she was named a principal dancer in the corps. In the 30 years that she danced with the company, she performed practically every major Balanchine role and managed to work directly with Jerome Robbins. Other storied choreographers she was able to work with include William Forsythe, Twyla Tharp, Alexei Ratmansky, Christopher Wheeldon, Jorma Elo, Shen Wei, and Wayne MacGregor.

Whelan is on the faculty at Ballet Academy East in New York and was recently appointed Artistic Associate at New York’s City Center. She also served as the first recipient of Leda Orzeck Artist in Residence Chair, at Barnard College for the 2015/16 school year. She retired from the New York City Ballet as a performer in 2014, opening her horizons to enter new areas of dance .

In 2018, Kentucky to the World’s live speaker series hosted a conversation between Wendy Whelan and historian Emily Bingham, where they discussed the empowerment that rises from harnessing creative energy.