Wendy Whelan
Dancer, artistic director, educator
Why you should listen
An acclaimed dancer with 30 years of experience at New York City Ballet, Wendy Whelan is currently the company’s associate artistic director. She has performed on four continents and served as a guest artist with renowned companies such as the Royal Ballet and the Kirov Ballet. Her commitment to empowering women and ending the stigma of aging is captured in the award-winning documentary Restless Creature: Wendy Whelan. At TEDNext, she will perform alongside Marc Bamuthi Joseph.
Wendy Whelan’s TED Talk
Wendy Whelan, Marc Bamuthi Joseph
The role of art and forgiveness in democracy
9 minutes 39 secondsCan art pave the way for a politically divided nation to move forward? Artist, cultural strategist and TED Fellow Marc Bamuthi Joseph reflects on the role of art, forgiveness and remembrance in the pursuit of public healing — especially at a time when trust is contested and community forums fractured. Wendy Whelan, associate artistic director of the New York City Ballet, joins him on stage for a rendition of “The Carnival of the Animals,” exploring how the cuckoo bird exemplifies the cycles of inaction that lead to injustice. It's more than a performance — it's a reckoning.Posted Apr 2025
