Celebrity Series Press Room: http://www.celebrityseries.org/CS_aboutus/press.htm
Wendy Whelan Restless Creature
Performances Cancelled
March 28-29 at the Citi Shubert Theatre
(Boston) Following hip surgery that took place just one week after the August 14, 2013 premiere of her Restless Creature, Wendy Whelan, in consultation with her doctors, has concluded that her body needs more time to heal and that she must postpone her spring 2014 inaugural U.S. tour of the work. The Celebrity Series of Boston performances on March 28-29, 2014 at the Citi Shubert Theatre will be cancelled and are not able to be rescheduled this season.
Patrons who purchased tickets through the Celebrity Series of Boston box office will be contacted as to their options. All other patrons are requested to contact their place of purchase for refunds.
Whelan said, “It is with careful thought and with the support of my wellness team that I have decided to postpone the tour of my project Restless Creature, until I have made a more complete recovery from the hip surgery I had last August. I have worked diligently following my surgery to meet my deadline for being rehearsal ready, but I simply need more time to strengthen and heal. I have to honor my body’s wishes. I know I will continue to make progress, and I hope to bring these wonderful new pieces of choreography to life very soon with the physicality they both deserve and require to be shown at their absolute best.”
“We wish Wendy the best for a speedy recovery,” says Celebrity Series President and Executive Director, Gary Dunning. “This has been a project that has been in development for more than two years and is a stunning showcase of her talent and the talents of her co-choreographers. I’m sorry that Celebrity Series audiences will not have a chance to see her new venture and see her stretch her creative boundaries at this time.”
The New York Times has called Whelan “America’s greatest contemporary ballerina.” She has danced with New York City Ballet for 29 years. With the company, she has mastered Balanchine’s neo-classical repertory, dance classics such as Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake and created works with many of today’s leading choreographers. Having reached the height of her field, Whelan, now 46, is embarking on a groundbreaking journey at an age when most ballerinas simply retire from the stage. She has launched Wendy Whelan New Works Initiative, which begins with Restless Creature, a suite of four duets, each with its own distinct style and artistry, created by and danced with Kyle Abraham, Joshua Beamish, Brian Brooks and Alejandro Cerrudo.
After a minor slip in ballet class in September 2012, Whelan began experiencing severe pain in her right hip. After months of pain reducing treatments, her doctors discovered a complex labral tear. A labral tear involves the ring of soft elastic tissue, called the labrum, which follows the outside rim of the socket of the hip joint. When damaged, even small movement can be extremely painful. After months of failed attempts at finding pain relief, Whelan made the decision to have surgery and face a daunting four to sixth months in recovery. She turned to Dr. Marc Philippon, renowned hip surgeon at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado. The surgery would involve cleaning up the tear, as well as the debris floating in her hip that had accumulated as a result, Dr. Philippon shaved down impingements along the bone that had developed over her lengthy dancing career.
Wendy Whelan studied at the School of American Ballet. She was invited to become a member of the New York City Ballet corps de ballet in 1986 and was promoted to principal dancer in 1991. Whelan has performed a wide spectrum of the Balanchine repertory and has worked closely with Jerome Robbins on many of his ballets. She has originated featured roles in 13 ballets for Christopher Wheeldon, as well as in the ballets of William Forsythe, Alexei Ratmansky, Wayne McGregor, Jorma Elo, Shen Wei and Twyla Tharp. In 2007, Whelan was nominated for an Olivier Award and a Critics Circle Award for her performances with Morphoses/Wheeldon Company. She has been a guest artist with The Royal Ballet and with the Kirov Ballet. She received the 2007 Dance Magazine Award, and in 2009 was given a Doctorate of Arts, honoris causa, from Bellarmine University. In 2011, she was honored with both The Jerome Robbins Award and a Bessie Award for her Sustained Achievement in Performance.
About Celebrity Series of Boston
Celebrity Series of Boston was founded in 1938 by pianist and impresario Aaron Richmond. Over the course of its 75-year history, Celebrity Series has presented an array of the world’s greatest performing artists, including Sergei Rachmaninoff, Arturo Toscanini, Ignace Paderewski, Artur Rubenstein, Vladimir Horowitz, Glenn Gould, Fritz Kreisler, Jascha Heifetz, Isaac Stern, Andrés Segovia, Kirsten Flagstad, Marian Anderson, Luciano Pavarotti, Béla Bartók, Igor Stravinsky, Martha Graham, Ballet Russe De Monte Carlo, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Mstislav Rostropovich, and the New York City Opera Company.
The Celebrity Series has been bringing the very best performers–from orchestras and chamber ensembles, vocal and piano music, to dance companies, jazz, and more–to Boston’s major concert halls for 75 years. The Celebrity Series of Boston believes in the power of excellence and innovation in the performing arts to enrich life experiences, transform lives and build better communities. Through its education initiatives, the Celebrity Series seeks to build a community of Greater Boston where the performing arts are a valued, lifelong, shared experience–on stages, in schools, at home– everywhere. For more information on Celebrity Series of Boston, call (617) 482-2595 or visit us online at www.celebrityseries.org.
The Celebrity Series of Boston, Inc. receives generous support from Amy and Joshua Boger; Eleanor and Frank Pao; Donna and Mike Egan; Susanne Marcus Collins Foundation; The Little Family Foundation; Tufts Health Plan; Foley & Lardner LLP; The John S. and Cynthia Reed Foundation; First Republic Bank; The Peabody Foundation; Charlesbank Capital Partners; PTC, The D.L. Saunders Real Estate Corp; Massachusetts Cultural Council; New England Foundation for the Arts.
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