Women Ballet Choreographers and Directors in Conversation

by Kathryn Roszak

Wendy Whelan, Associate Artistic Director of New York City Ballet, and Victoria Morgan, Artistic Director of Cincinnati Ballet, Women Ballet Choreographers and Directors in conversation with Kathryn Roszak, Artistic Director of Danse Lumière.

 

Kathryn Roszak, Artistic Director of Danse Lumière Presents: Wendy Whelan and Victoria Morgan: Women Ballet Choreographers and Directors in Conversation. This is the 5th Year Anniversary of the Women Ballet Choreographers and Composers Residency, hosted at Djerassi Resident Artists Program.

Edited by New Jersey filmmaker Zoey Rose Best of ‘Long Gone Production Home’. Led by Kathryn Roszak and featuring Victoria Morgan, Artistic Director of Cincinnati Ballet, and Wendy Whelan, Associate Artistic Director of New York City Ballet. This conversation highlights the need for women in leadership roles in the arts, in production, and in corporate positions. Thank you to the many supporters of this video who made it possible. Join us in taking part in the conversation: https://www.dlkdance.com/women-ballet-choreographers-residen

The second part of this series will be released soon featuring Christina Johnson, formerly of Dance Theater Harlem, Composer Vivan Fung, Lauren Jonas, Artistic Director of Diablo Ballet, and Julia Feldman of Sacramento Ballet.

If you would like to support this conversation and others in the
future, please consider donating here: www.dlkdance.com/donate

About the Panel

Victoria Morgan was a principal dancer for the San Francisco Ballet and Ballet West, and resident choreographer for the San Francisco Opera, before joining the Cincinnati Ballet in 1997 as Artistic Director. During her time at Cincinnati Ballet, Morgan has worked to expose more people to ballet through innovative marketing programs, as well as finding new sources of funding, creating collaborations with other ballet companies, and creating world premieres such as “Romeo and Juliet” and “Bolero.”

Wendy Whelan is a former principal dancer with the New York City Ballet, performing with the company for 30 years, touring in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. She has also worked with Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company. Her inaugural project, “Restless Creature,” premiered at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in 2013. In 2019, Whelan was named Associate Artistic Director of New York City Ballet.

Kathryn Roszak performed for many years with the San Francisco Opera Ballet, and has danced with San Francisco Ballet. She has performed, choreographed and taught at the American Conservatory Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, San Francisco Opera Center, California Shakespeare Festival, and Berkeley Symphony with Kent Nagano. She created and produced original works for the Goethe Institute/San Francisco Mozart Festival, Theatre Artaud, and Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. Roszak is an Artist in Residence at the Djerassi Resident Artists Program in California where she serves on the Choreography panel, and produces the annual Women Ballet Choreographers and Composers Residency.

Danse Lumière (formerly Anima Mundi Dance Company) was founded in 1995 by Kathryn Roszak. Danse Lumière has been recognized for their work combining dance with literature. The company’s unique approach brings new audiences to classical art forms by blending and innovating across disciplines, putting dance into conversation with music, visual art, poetry, and theatre.