Wheeldon, Christopher (1973– )

English ballet dancer and choreographer. He joined the New York City Ballet in 1993, became a soloist in 1998, and was the company's first resident choreographer 2001–08. Known for his blend of modern and classical genres, he launched his own dance company, Morphoses, in 2007.

His ballet Polyphonia (2001), for example, combines acrobatic moves with traditional sequences, while his adaptations Carousel (A Dance) (2002) distills the opening scenes of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical into an intense pas de deux and The Nightingale and the Rose (2007) retells Oscar Wilde's fairytale. A new production of Swan Lake (2004) for the Pennsylvania Ballet retells the story in a modern setting, with a combination of classical and innovative choreography. Other works include After the Rain (2005) and Klavier (2006). Wheeldon has also choreographed ballets for London's Royal Ballet, the San Francisco Ballet, and the Bolshoi Ballet.

Wheeldon was born in Yeovil, Somerset, England. He started ballet lessons at the age of eight and later attended the Royal Ballet School. He joined the Royal Ballet in 1991 and won the Gold Medal at the Prix de Lausanne competition the same year. He has also collaborated with Nicholas Hytner on the film Center Stage (2000) and on the Broadway performance of The Sweet Smell of Success (2002).