Coming Soon
Shelley Washington studied with Twyla Tharp at Wolftrap Academy, American University, prior to being invited to join Twyla Tharp Dance Company in 1975. She previously danced as a member of the Martha Graham Dance Company. A graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy, Ms. Washington furthered her training at the Juilliard School. She performed in the 1977 film Hair and served as dance captain for the 1985 Broadway production of Singing in the Rain. In 1987, she was honored with a New York Dance and Performance Award (Bessie).
From 1988 to 1992, Ms. Washington worked with American Ballet Theatre as soloist and rehearsal director in association with Ms. Tharp. In 1993, she was rehearsal director for Ms. Tharp’s Cutting Up tour, starring Ms. Tharp and Mikhail Baryshnikov, Twyla Tharp and Dancers’ City Center season in New York, and Tharp Dances’ international tour. Ms. Washington continues to work with Ms. Tharp as rehearsal director by setting, staging, and directing Ms. Tharp’s ballets for various companies, including Boston Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance, Martha Graham Dance Company, American Ballet Theatre, Australian Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Ballet Rambert, The Royal Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, Zurich Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, Ballet British Columbia, Ballet Florida and the Royal Danish Ballet.
In addition, Ms. Washington spent the summer of 1999 working with Trevor Nunn’s company, Royal National Theater, as movement director and choreographer for A Darker Face of the Earth, which opened at the Cottlesloe Theatre in London.