Wendy White Sasser

Ballet

Biography:

Wendy White Sasser was raised in Montgomery, Alabama, where she trained with the Alabama Dance Theatre. She was named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts and went on to continue her studies as a fellowship student at The Ailey School. While at Ailey, Wendy was chosen to participate in two videos documenting the Lester Horton technique. She was a member of Ailey 2, Donald Byrd/The Group, Complexions Contemporary Ballet and the Alvin AIley American Dance Theater. Wendy’s pictures have appeared on the pages of Dance Magazine, Vanity Fair, the New York Times and New York Times Magazine as well as the covers of Where NY and Where Philadelphia magazines. Photographs of Wendy were also chosen for Ailey Ascending, A Portrait in Motion, and Ailey Spirit, both books celebrating the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. In 2004, she was featured on a US postage stamp honoring Alvin Ailey as one of four choreographers selected by the US Postal Service to be spotlighted in their American Choreographers series. She has taught company classes for Complexions Contemporary Ballet (CCB), CCB intensives and at the Joffrey Ballet School as well as guesting with the French Academie of Ballet, the Gelsey Kirkland Academy, Broadway Dance Center, Central Ohio Youth Ballet and the Alabama Dance Theatre. Wendy is on faculty at Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus as a Professor of Ballet.

Class Description:

Wendy’s classes work on maintaining correct placement while exploring the bodies maximumcapacity to move. Attention is given to generosity in the upper body while investigating how a dancer can simultaneously engage the lower half with precision. With emphasis given to covering space, dynamic shifts and musicality, the positive environment of Wendy’s class is perfect for both classical and modern dancers.