npr:
Not every dancer can be a ballerina, and not every ballerina gets to dance with the New York City Ballet. So when one makes it, and then stays with the company for three decades, it’s a big deal.
Wendy Whelanisthat ballerina. And on Saturday night, at 47 years old, she’ll give her final New York City Ballet performance before she retires.
"I’m sure I’ll get very emotional after," Whelan says. "I don’t expect to get emotional during. It’s not my style, I just don’t do that. But I’ll probably enter a depression, and I just know that I will do that because I always do that after a big ballet experience. … But this is the end of a ballet career, so that’s a bit bigger than just a season of ballet."
Hear the story and see more photos from the preparation for Whelan’s last performance over here.
Photos by Erin Baiano for NPR
Tags: Wendy Whelan New York City Ballet
