Christopher Wheeldon (born March 22, 1973)[1] is a well-recognized contemporary ballet choreographer.[2] Born in Somerset, England, to an engineer and a physical therapist, Wheeldon began training to be a ballet dancer at the age of 8. He attended the Royal Ballet School between the ages of 11 and 18. In 1991, Wheeldon joined the Royal Ballet, London. In 1993, at the age of 19, Wheeldon moved to New York City to join the New York City Ballet. Wheeldon was named Soloist in 1998. Wheeldon began choreographing for the New York City Ballet in 1997, while continuing his career as a dancer. He retired as a dancer in 2000 in order to focus on his choreography. In 2001, Wheeldon became the New York City Ballet's Resident Choreographer. He was productive as Resident Choreographer, choreographing a number of much lauded works for this troupe. He quickly developed a reputation as a talented choreographer, and several other eminent ballet companies, such as the San Francisco Ballet, The Bolshoi Ballet, and the Royal Ballet, London have commissioned dances from him. As of May, 2003, Wheeldon had composed at least 23 works.[3] In November, 2006, Wheeldon announced the formation of his own dance company, Morphoses. Wheeldon finishes his tenure as Resident Choreographer of New York City Ballet in February 2008.[2]
