- Nisian Hughes
- Wendy Whelan in motion
Last fall, at 47 years old, Wendy Whelan retired from the New York City Ballet after 31 years, 22 of those as its principal dancer.
Whelan’s career began in 1986 when she became a member of the New York City Ballet corps de ballet. Being promoted to principal dancer in 1991 led to numerous iconic performances and achievements, among them originating more than a dozen feature roles in Christopher Wheeldon ballets and being honored with a Bessie Award. One of Whelan’s most memorable career milestones was her first time dancing the lead in Swan Lake. “It’s so iconic and stressful and exciting, and I think it’s because you never really know how it is going to turn out,” she says. “I felt like I conquered a bit of a beast, I was happy with myself.”
Prior to returning to the stage after surgery, Whelan became extremely anxious about her ability being diminished. “I was a nervous wreck, and I learned how to meditate so I could try to keep myself calm,” she says. “I didn’t know. Even the doctors couldn’t promise me that this was going to be perfect. So I was just really figuring things out.” Whelan then discovered she was also suffering from a back injury, which is why she had to postpone the Chicago premiere of Restless Creature, which was supposed to take place in March 2014.
