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CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON is set to take the International Festival by storm with a San Fransisco Ballet triple bill — just don’t call him the new Frederick Ashton. \‘Jor'tlS; Donald Hutera.
eouple of _\ear\ haek the
Ro_xal Opera Home
puhlixhed a \eaxon ad\ert under the heading ‘SUIIIL‘ (iii the l'inext ehoreographerx in the \xorld.‘ liight mug \hotx ol' the great and the good. the dead and the li\ing. 'I‘he roll-call hegan \\ ith liederiek .-\\hton. one ol the huilderx ol Britixh ballet. and eontinued \\ith .lohn (‘ranko. \aeho l)uato. .\Iat\ lik. \Villiam l-‘or\_\the. Kenneth .\lae.\lillan and Anton} 'l'udor. Bringing tip the rear. alphalwtieall} onl}. \xax hallet\ lrexh-laeed golden ho). ('hrixtopher \Vheeldon. 'l‘he _\ounge\t ol‘ the lot. The nexxext kid on the choreographic hloek and. at the age ol‘ ~It). one ol' the moxt aeelaimed dance-makerx ol' hix generation.
.-\x a mark ol‘ hi\ talent. time and drauing po\\ er. )oung maxter \Vheeldon ix heing aeeorded an exening ol hix oun at thix _\ear\ International li‘xtiMil. 'l'he \ehiele ix San liraneixeo Ballet (SI-B l. \\ho\e \uperhl} \treamlined daneerx \\ ill take to
54 THE LIST FESTIVAL GUIDE ' : -'-
the l’|a_\hou\e \tage in an all—\Vheeldon triple-hill that includes a “mid pretttiere.
The human “Clixpl'lllg ol' all this ereati\it} is honoured and e\eited about the prospect ol a lirxt retroxpeeth e. hut also \ome“ hat \xar}. 'lt‘x \omething I'm \eeptieal ahout. expeeiall} at \ueh an earl) \tage in m} eareer.‘ \a'u \Vheeldon. ‘You make leap\ from hallet to hallet. I‘m alua'u learning. But I don't l‘eel l'\e taken too man} stepx haeknardx. I'm not treading uaterf
Hardl}. \Vheeldon. in tact. might he one of the huxiext ehtireographerx on the planet. .-\part l'rom a den of eompan} eommixxionx alread} under hl\ hell and in the olling tineluding l'roni the Rom! Ballet. Hamhurg Ballet and (ieorge I’iper Daneexl. he hax l'ound time to ehoreograph both a Broadna} muxieal l'l‘lu' Sit-(w Smell of'Sm-u'xx) and a lilm 1(‘r'iim' Sluer'l. On top ol- all thix. \Vheeldon ha\ created for himxell a great. \tead} gig Lt\ rexident ehoretigrapher (it New York (it) Ballet t.\'\'(‘B l.
Born in Yemil. Somerxet hut no“ hased in Manhattan. \Vheeldon “le \till daneing tor the Royal Ballet u hen he arrixed in the Big Apple ten )Ctll'x ago. Hix \ixit “as \ia a