Wendy Whelan's Next Steps
There have been rumblings about Wendy Whelan’s New York City Ballet retirement for a while now. As of this morning, it’s official: The revered principal dancer will take her final bow with the company on October 18.
There’s no word yet on what she’ll dance for that last show, the culmination of three decades of extraordinary work with NYCB. Yet, however emotional that moment is guaranteed to be, this is just the end of one chapter in Whelan’s remarkable career.
Next up is the U.K. premiere of her Restless Creature program in July. (The U.S. Restless Creature tour, which she was forced to cancel this spring due to her longer-than-anticipated recovery from hip surgery, has also been rescheduled for early 2015.) In July of 2015, she’ll premiere a new project with the Royal Ballet’s Edward Watson in London; that venture will make its way to the U.S. in the spring of 2016. And as if that weren’t enough to keep her busy, Whelan has also been appointed artistic associate at New York City Center. For two years, beginning this November, the theater will be her home base, a place for her to develop future projects.
Long story short: Yes, we’ll miss Wendy’s inimitable presence on the City Ballet stage. But this restless creature isn’t abandoning us anytime soon.