List of Dancers - W

W

• John Weaver (July 21, 1673 – September 24, 1760) was a dancer and choreographer and is commonly known as the father of English pantomime. Weaver was born in Shrewsbury. His father, a dance teacher, suggested he go to London and become a ballet master. Weaver soon became a specialist in comic roles and created the first pantomime ballet, the burlesque Tavern Bilkers (1702). His more serious work, The Loves of Mars and Venus dealt with themes from classical literature and required a significant amount of gestures due to the story not being expressed in any spoken form. Because Weaver attempted to use plot and emotion in replacement of more sophisticated technical and speech methods, he is considered a major influence on subsequent choreographers, including Jean-Georges Noverre and Gasparo Angiolini.

• Charles Edward Weidman, Jr. (born 1901 in Lincoln, Nebraska – died 1975) was a modern dancer, choreographer and teacher. He studied and performed with Denishawn before leaving to form the Humphrey-Weidman school and company with Doris Humphrey and Pauline Lawrence. Like his partner Humphrey, Weidman worked from principles of fall and recovery and also experimented with a form of linking unrelated movements that he called "kinetic pantomime." During the 1930s, Weidman taught at the Bennington School of the Dance in Vermont and presented choreography including his popular Candide (1937) through the Federal Dance Theatre of the WPA.

• Mary Wigman (born 1886 – died 1973) was a German dancer, choreographer, and instructor of dance. Credited for innovation of expressionist dance, and pioneer of modern dance in Germany. Mary Wigman's choreographies often employed non-Western instrumentation: fifes, bells, gongs, and drums from India, Thailand, Africa, and China. However, the primary musical accompaniment for her most well known dances was percussion, which contrasted greatly with her use of silence. Mary would often employ masks in her pieces, influenced again by non-western/tribal motifs, as well as ecstatic spinning.

• Leszek Wolkowski a Polish born dancer, teacher, choreographer and director. Living in Australia since 1982. Leszek commenced his dance career at the age of 16 in the Opera Theatre in Wroclaw - Poland. Trained under the well known Russian/Georgian Classical Ballet teacher Rewaz Culukidze, Leszek progressed to the rank of soloist by the time he was 18. At the age of 19 Leszek left the Wroclaw Opera Theatre ballet to work with the Polish National Song and Dance company "Slask". The work with "Slask" provided Leszek with the opportunity to travel extensively around the world and perform in legendary theatres in many countries. While working there, Leszek studied Theatre Directing and Choreography at the Warsaw College of Dance and Drama where he graduated from in 1981.

Between 1979 and 1981 Leszek worked as a guest dancer and choreographer in Metz and Karlsruhe dance companies. In 1981 while working in France, Leszek had created his first full evening choreographical work titled "Enigma". This work was done to the music of Jean Michele Jarre with the full collaboration of the composer. Upon arriving in Australia in May 1982, Leszek worked with Sydney Dance Company, later moved to Melbourne to work with The Australian Ballet, Kolobok dance company, Australian Contemporary Dance Company and the Ensemble Dance Theatre. In 1984 Leszek opened his own dance school - Let's Dance Studio. The school was unique in the set up, as it provided dance tuition in Classical Ballet, Jazz Ballet, Tap Dancing, Contemporary Dance and "Swedish Barre" later known as floor Pilates for exclusively adult students. Over the 16 years of it's existence Let's Dance Studio provided classes of all levels from beginners to professional dancers. In 1992 Leszek graduated from the University of Melbourne in film making and video production. Over the next few years Leszek produced and directed several showreels for actors as well as choreographed, produced, filmed and edited two works for the Australian Ballet School. One the works was etered into an International Dance Film Festival in Germany. In 1994 Leszek's first book was published. "Let's Dance Classical..." was launched by the Victorian minister for the Arts and the book sold in Australia, the US and the UK.

In 1998/99 Leszek started his own dance company - "Storm Dance Theatre". The concept of the SDT was based on including the Method Acting as an integral part of dance performance. At the time of its conception, it was the only company in the world that was incorporating Method Acting in their work. The opening season at the Malthouse Theatre in Melbourne proved to be a great success. As a result, SDT was invited by the German Consul to Australia and the German Arts Ministry to tour Germany in 1999. Upon return back to Australia, SDT ceased to continue due the the lack of funding.

Countries where Leszek performed include Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, France, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Austria, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, USA, Canada, Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela, Marocco, Egypt, Turkey, Monaco, Hong Kong, Australia.