Wendy by David Michalek
The NYCB fall season ended on a bittersweet note with the retirement of longtime principal dancer Wendy Whelan. There has already been a ton of press surrounding the event, but I feel compelled to add to the mix how much her career meant to me and to the members of our company. In a field where personnel turnover is incredibly high, a thirty-year career is not just an anomaly, it is an extraordinary physical feat. The average retirement age for dancers in the US is 27 years old, Wendy retired at 47. For Wendy to have danced into almost her fifth decade is remarkable. For perspective: I am among the senior generation of the company’s current roster, and I was a toddler when Wendy joined the company. It will be hard to start work again next week without her; she is one of the nicest and most generous women I have ever met.
I have been a huge fan of Wendy since my student days, and her long evolution as a dancer has been incredibly inspiring to me and my peers. When I got to the School of American Ballet Wendy was a fully realized artist in her prime, and she had already been a principal for many years. I went to watch the company perform nearly nightly and she was always on, often in multiple
I have been a huge fan of Wendy since my student days, and her long evolution as a dancer has been incredibly inspiring to me and my peers. When I got to the School of American Ballet Wendy was a fully realized artist in her prime, and she had already been a principal for many years. I went to watch the company perform nearly nightly and she was always on, often in multiple
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