Whittle was dancer with the New York City Ballet under
George Balanchine’s direction for 14 years, then
became a Ballet Mistress for the NYCB, and a faculty
member at The School of American Ballet, both for 30
years. She remains a Repetiteur for the George Balanchine
Trust. She is strongly influenced by Mr. Balanchine’s
aesthetic, but as he said, “one must first be trained
classically before learning the style.” Her class focuses
on correct body placement, precise and detailed work,
musicality, phrasing, quality of movement, big, bold
dancing, never holding back, stretching each line to
it’s maximum. She interject Mr. Balanchine’s aesthetic into
her classes, but how much depends upon the capacity
of the student.