DANCECleveland presents Wendy Whelan in Restless Creature
Saturday, April 25 at 8:00 p.m.
Ohio Theatre
New York City Ballet Legend Wendy Whelan Performs Restless Creature at the Ohio Theatre on April 25
DANCECleveland & Playhouse Square Present “America’s most celebrated ballerina”
CLEVELAND (March 11, 2015) – Hailed by The New York Times as "America's most celebrated ballerina," former New York City Ballet star Wendy Whelan performs Restless Creature on Saturday, April 25 at 8:00 p.m. at the Ohio Theatre. Presented by DANCECleveland and Playhouse Square, Whelan joins forces with four of America's top contemporary male choreographers – Kyle Abraham, Josh Beamish, Brian Brooks and Alejandro Cerrudo – for an evening of dance that has garnered critical raves since its debut in 2013.
Tickets, starting at $25, can be purchased at the Playhouse Square ticket office, 216-241-6000 or online at www.dancecleveland.org.
Whelan, who retired from New York City Ballet last October, created Restless Creature as the inaugural project of the Wendy Whelan New Works Initiative, and it has played to packed houses since its world premiere at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. The vibrant work is a suite of four contemporary duets she commissioned, with each piece featuring Whelan and its maker, showcasing her intelligence as a dancer and commanding stage presence.
Restless unveils the fiery combustion possible when dancers are this distinctive, and demonstrates Whelan’s uncanny ability to be a chameleon who adapts to each choreographer's technique and approach to storytelling.
A 2013 MacArthur Fellow, Kyle Abraham received a Bessie Award for Outstanding Performance in Dance for his work in The Radio Show, and a Princess Grace Award for Choreography in 2010. In 2011, OUT Magazine labeled him as the “best and brightest creative talent to emerge in New York City in the age of Obama.”
Joshua Beamish, who founded MOVE: the company in 2005, has toured extensively throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. He has collaborated with The Royal Ballet, New York City Ballet, Compania Nacional de Danza de Mexico, and Cape Dance Company/South Africa, among others, and choreographed for the Cultural Olympiads in both the 2010 and 2012 Olympics.
Hailed for his “choreographic genius” by The Dance Enthusiast, Brian Brooks has toured internationally since 2002 with his dance group, the Brian Brooks Moving Company. He is a recipient of the NY City Center Fellowship (2012-2013), the Jerome Robbins New Essential Works Grant (2013) and the National Dance Project’s Production and Residency Grants (2012).
Alejandro Cerrudo, who has danced with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago since 2005, was named Hubbard Street Choreographic Fellow in 2008 and became the company’s first resident choreographer the following year. His works are performed by companies around the world, including Germany, Denmark, The Netherlands and Australia, and in 2011 he was honored with an award from The Boomerang Fund for Artists.
Renowned for her sinewy physical prowess, kinetic clarity and dramatic, otherworldly intensity, Wendy Whelan spent 30 years at New York City Ballet, dancing virtually all of the major Balanchine roles, and working closely with Jerome Robbins on many of his ballets. She has originated roles in ballets by such notable choreographers as William Forsythe, Twyla Tharp, Alexei Ratmansky, Christopher Wheeldon, Jorma Elo, Shen Wei and Wayne MacGregor.
Whelan has been a guest artist with The Royal Ballet and the Kirov Ballet and has performed all over the U.S., South America, Europe and Asia. She received the Dance Magazine Award in 2007, and in 2009 was given a Doctorate of Arts, honoris causa, from Bellarmine University. In 2011 she received both The Jerome Robbins Award and a Bessie Award for her Sustained Achievement in Performance.