Ballet Mistress & Repetiteur

Born in Adelaide, Wendy Walker studied ballet with Joanne Priest before attending The Australian Ballet School before joining the Company in 1969. She was fortunate to work with Ashton, Butler, Tudor, Massine and Nureyev and was promoted to Senior Soloist. In 1975 and 1976 she danced with London Festival Ballet, working with Beryl Grey, Beriosoff, Ronald Hynde, and taking outside classes with John O’Brien. Returning to Australia, Wendy continued dancing with The Australian Ballet and assisted Anne Woolliams and Peggy van Praagh. In 1978 a Churchill Fellowship enabled her to undertake a Benesh Movement Notation course at The Institute of Choreology in London and she worked with Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Nederlands Dans Theater and Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet. In 1980, Wendy joined American Ballet Theatre as a choreologist, working closely with Tudor, MacMillan, Makarova, Tetley, John Taros, Mark Morris, Twyla Thwarp and Artistic Director Mikhail Baryshnikov. Promoted to Ballet Mistress in 1984, Wendy co-staged Balanchine's Bourrée Fantasque for American Ballet Theatre, Makarova's La Bayadère for Rio de Janeiro, MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet in Beunos Aires, and Manon in Vienna. Wendy returned to The Australian Ballet as Ballet Mistress in 1994. She enjoys a close working relationship with choreographer Steven Baynes and has been inspired by working with Nacho Duato, William Forsythe and Graeme Murphy. She takes particular joy in coaching the Corps de Ballet and was involved in the restaging of Les Sylphides and Les Présages. In 2003 Wendy Walker was awarded the Centenary Medal for her services to Dance in Australia.