May 7
Born Today:
Wendy Whelan
Ballerina Wendy Whelan (1967-) trained at the School of American Ballet before joining the company as an apprentice in 1984 and became a principal dancer in 1991. Although she danced Balanchine repertory and worked with Jerome Robbins (1918-1998), she preferred the work of resident choreographer Christopher Wheeldon (1973-). Whelan danced with NYCB for 30 years and created roles in over 40 new ballets with a number of choreographers. She was a guest artist with Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company (2007-2010) and in 2012, she embarked on collaborations with four choreographers in a project entitled Restless Creature. After retiring from ballet in 2014, she pursued contemporary dance, and in 2019 she was named the Associate Artistic Director of NYCB.
Also Born Today: Child actor/dancer David Kasday (1942-) appeared in several movies by Gene Kelly (1912-1996), most notably in the movie Invitation to the Dance (1956), dancing in a duet with Kelly. Broadway dancer/choreographer Gail Benedict (1952-) worked with her mentor, modern dancer/choreographer Donald McKayle (1930-2018) on a short-lived show and later performed in Dancin’ (1978) and 42nd Street (1980). Ballerina Michele Wiles (1980-) danced with ABT from 1998-2011, leaving to found Ballet Next, now located in Park City, Utah.
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Broadway Premiere: Can-Can in 1953