Carnival of the Animals (Work-In-Progress Excerpt) with Wendy Whelan and Marc Bamuthi Joseph/ Film–Restless Creature: Wendy Whelan with Choreography by Francesca Harper

Wendy Whelan- once called “America’s greatest contemporary ballerina” by the NY Times—brings an excerpt of a new work-in-progress inspired by Saint-Saens’ composition to SummerStage. She’s joined by acclaimed spoken-word artist and playwright, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, who will open the show with a solo poetry performance followed by the Whelan collaboration. The evening will continue with a screening of the 2013 documentary Restless Creature: Wendy Whelan, which follows Whelan as she struggles to recover from a potentially career-ending injury and reinvent herself as a dancer beyond the world of ballet.

Watch the trailer for “Restless Creature: Wendy Whelan” here.

Join us at 6pm for the pre-show panel:

The Art of the Transition: A Conversation On Next Steps

Join us as we talk with celebrated dancers, Alicia Graf-Mack, Desmond Richardson & Bebe Neuwirth, about the unique challenges artists face around career transition.

RSVP is required for all panels and is on first-come, first-served basis at [email protected]

8:00 pm – 10:00 pm (Doors open 7:00 pm)

SummerStage, Central Park

Rumsey Playfield, Manhattan, 10021

with Choreography by Francesca Harper











When: Wed., Aug. 21, 2019 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Wendy Whelan- once called “America’s greatest contemporary ballerina” by the NY Times—brings an excerpt of a new work-in-progress inspired by Saint-Saens’ composition to SummerStage. She’s joined by acclaimed spoken-word artist and playwright, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, who will open the show with a solo poetry performance followed by the Whelan collaboration. The evening will continue with a screening of the 2013 documentary Restless Creature: Wendy Whelan, which follows Whelan as she struggles to recover from a potentially career-ending injury and reinvent herself as a dancer beyond the world of ballet.

Watch the trailer for “Restless Creature: Wendy Whelan” here.

Join us at 6pm for the pre-show panel:

The Art of the Transition: A Conversation On Next Steps

Join us as we talk with celebrated dancers, Alicia Graf-Mack, Desmond Richardson & Bebe Neuwirth, about the unique challenges artists face around career transition.

RSVP is required for all panels and is on first-come, first-served basis at [email protected]

8:00 pm – 10:00 pm (Doors open 7:00 pm)

SummerStage, Central Park

Rumsey Playfield, Manhattan, 10021

with Choreography by Francesca Harper

Buy tickets/get more info now